IRVING  CRADDOCK 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 


THE 

YAZOO    MYSTERY 

A  Novel 

BY 

IRVING  CRADDOCK 


BRITTON   PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1919,  BY 

BRITTON  PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  INC. 
MADE  IN  U.  S.  A. 


All  Sights  Reserved 


To  THOSE  WHO  LOVE  ADVENTURE 


2135011  I 


The  Yazoo  Mystery 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  harbor-master  entered  briskly  but  dubiously 
the  room  of  the  ship's  first  officer. 

"What  about  the  five  men  for  the  Domus?"  he 
bellowed. 

"All  ready  to  sign,  sir,"  assured  the  manager  of 
the  employment  agency,  pointing  toward  two  saddle 
colored  negroes,  a  Spaniard,  and  a  limp  figure  half 
asleep,  slouching  in  the  corner  on  a  narrow  bench, 
one  hand  clutching  an  expensive  leather  bag. 

"It  is  the  best  I  could  do  on  such  short  notice," 
assured  the  agency  man  in  an  undertone,  noticing 
that  the  first  officer's  inventory  was  not  very  en- 
couraging. 

"Get  them  up  here  to  sign.  We're  anchored  in 
the  stream,  losing  two  thousand  dollars  every  hour 
we  stay  here.  We  need  rive  more  firemen — anything 
that  looks  human,"  he  added  impatiently,  spreading 


9 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

the  ship's  articles  on  the  counter  that  reached  across 
the  smelly  water-front  den. 

"Come  on  and  sign  up,  boys,"  said  the  agency 
man  with  assumed  good  nature. 

While  the  two  negroes  and  the  Spaniard  were 
signing,  the  ship's  first  officer  went  to  the  sleeping 
figure  in  the  corner,  took  up  his  free  hand  and  felt 
of  the  palm,  then  dropped  it  disgustedly  as  he  took 
the  man  by  the  shoulders  and  shook  him  vigorously. 

"Come  on  and  sign  up,  Strong,"  he  shouted  into 
his  ear. 

Strong  labored  with  himself,  still  holding  to  his 
bag,  half  staggered  to  the  counter  and  signed  on  the 
line  indicated — "Hiram  Strong,  Jr." 

The  signature  was  plain  and  businesslike.  Evi- 
dently the  Candidate  had  known  better  days. 

"He's  been  kicked  out  or  disowned,"  muttered  the 
first  officer  to  me  while  he  was  signing  up.  "He 
won't  be  worth  a  cuss.  Look — those  hands  never 
did  a  lick  of  work — but  he  will  fill  the  list,"  he 
added,  walking  about  nervously  and  sizing  me  up 
with  apparent  approbation. 

The  agency  man  came  up  at  once  and  held  the 
pen  towards  me,  and  without  hesitation  I  signed 


10 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Ben  Taylor"  on  the  line  beneath.  While  I  was 
thus  engaged  Hiram  leaned  against  the  counter 
weak  and  listless,  his  bag  between  his  feet  We  had 
both  signed  as  firemen  or  stokers  on  the  steam- 
ship Domus  for  a  round  trip  to  an  unnamed  Gulf, 
or  Mexican  port. 

Although  pretty  well  awake  by  this  time  Strong 
did  not  resent  my  taking  his  arm  and  helping  him 
a  bit.  He  made  no  comment  at  first,  but  after  he 
got  used  to  the  lively  walk  along  the  dock,  he  began 
to  show  signs  of  saying  something. 

"Old  pal,"  he  began,  without  turning  his  head, 
"I — I've  got  a  headache — top's  coming  off — and  my 
stomach  is  all  jelly.  It  shakes  as  I  walk  and  makes 
me  sick,"  he  ended  under  his  breath. 

"You'll  be  all  right  after  you  get  some  sleep." 

"Y-e-s — I  think — I  h-h-ope  so I've  had  an 

awful  time — an  awful  time,  pardee — but  this  is  my 
last — this  is  my  last,"  he  added,  more  to  himself. 

His  bloodless  face  and  lips,  pink  lids  and  blood- 
shot eyes  indicated  a  disordered  system  urgently  re- 
belling against  recent  abuses. 

After  we  got  aboard  the  harbor-master's  tug,  al- 


11 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

though  very  weak,  he  refused  to  sit  down.  Noting 
that  I  had  found  a  seat,  he  lurched  over  to  me. 

"Old  pal,  everything  looks  yellow  to  me,  even  the 
sun  looks  yellow — sort  of  faded.  Does  it  look  yel- 
low to  you  ?"  he  asked,  blinking  at  the  clear  setting 
sun,  and  although  his  power  to  realize  was  at  low 
ebb,  he  picked  me  out  evidently  as  being  different 
from  the  others.  By  that  act  he  exercised  a  dis- 
crimination that  predestined  an  exciting  and  almost 
unbelievable  career. 

"The  sun  looks  all  right  to  me,"  I  told  him,  smil- 
ing up  in  sympathy. 

"I  guess  it's  me — it's  terrible — but  this  is  the  last 
— I'm  going  to  work  now.  Little  Hiram  is  going 
to  work  for  the  balance  of  his  life — I  got  to,  that's 
all,"  he  ended,  with  a  dogged  determination  that  I 
hoped  would  survive  after  he  recovered  from  his 
unsettled  and  polluted  condition.  I  steadied  him  a 
little  when  climbing  the  ladder  from  the  tug  to  the 
ship,  which  attention  he  seemed  to  appreciate. 

"Old  pal,  I  must  go  to  bed.  If  I  don't  I  will  die," 
said  he  as  we  went  forward  to  the  firemen's 
sleeping  quarters.  There  he  tumbled  into  a  lower 
bunk,  not  stopping  to  remove  even  the  cheap  cap  he 


12 


wore.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  he  was  "dead  to 
the  world"  and  snoring  at  a  lively  clip. 

Upon  returning  to  the  deck  I  heard  a  loud  grunt 
from  the  Siren  and  at  once  the  ship  began  to  swing 
out  into  the  stream,  heading  toward  the  Statue 
of  Liberty  and  that  great  sea  beyond  the  Narrows. 

The  captain  still  leaned  over  the  bridge,  taking 
stock  of  his  nondescript  crew  of  firemen  that  loitered 
about,  forward.  His  bulk  evidenced  a  growing  ap- 
petite and  his  almond  shaped  eyes  suggested  the  pre- 
natal influence  of  a  Chinaman.  It  was  hard  to 
understand  how  so  much  tallow  and  bone,  in  a 
florid  lumpy  skin,  ever  became  master  of  a  big  ship. 
Such  luggage  as  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.  and  I  had 
brought  aboard  might  have  told  him  a  story,  but 
he  didn't  care ;  all  he  wanted  was  thirty-five  human 
machines,  capable  of  shoveling  coal — in  four-hour 
shifts — in  a  temperature  of  a  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  degrees.  He  knew  that  his  ship  was  marked 
as  a  "hell,"  and  that  no  fireman  would  ship  for  a 
second  trip. 

While  standing  beside  the  rail  and  studying  the 
retreating  outlines  of  Battery  Park  and  its  wonder- 
ful skyline,  I  was  approached  by  the  firemen's  mess 


13 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

steward,  who  wore  a  dirty  white  jacket  and  apron. 

"I  don't  suppose  that  young  feller  will  want  any- 
thing to  eat?" 

"No — I  guess  sleep  is  better  now,"  I  replied,  in^ 
terpreting  in  his  round  greasy  face  evident  good-will. 

"The  firemen  are  eating  and  you  had  better  go 
in,"  he  said,  but  seemingly  in  no  hurry  for  me  to 
tear  myself  away.  The  tip  seemed  a  good  one,  so  I 
made  an  opening  for  a  better  acquaintance. 

"Where  are  we  bound,  steward?" 

"We're  bound  out  and  back  to  this  port,  but  at 
how  many  places  we  will  call,  God  knows.  I  don't ! 
When  we  start,  lately,  we  never  know  when  we'll 
get  back.  Sometimes  we  call  at  Key  West,  and 
usually  at  Galveston  or  New  Orleans.  Don't  you 
know  what  you  signed  for?"  he  asked,  without  sur- 
prise, but  grinning  significantly. 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  hesitating  somewhat.  I  won- 
dered why  he  continued  to  grin.  Then  he  again 
asked: 

"Are  you  coming  down  to  mess  yourself?" 

"Yes,  I  will  come  right  down." 

Following  him  below,  I  crowded  over  on  one  of 
the  nondescript  crew  to  a  seat  on  the  end  of  a 


14 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

bench  at  a  narrow,  bare  table,  and  received  from  the 
steward  a  half-gallon  of  thick  soup  dished  up  in  an 
enameled  pan  from  a  galvanized-iron  wash-tub. 
Later  I  was  supplied  from  the  same  laundry  utensil 
a  liberal  portion  of  what  was  intended  for  a  meat 
stew,  and  a  war  allowance  of  bread.  I  was  won- 
dering how  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  accustomed  to  up- 
town dining,  would  relish  this  atmosphere  with  its 
filthy  service  and  coarse  food.  The  men  along  the 
bench  beside  me  consumed  the  soup  noisily,  like 
Bowery  bums,  and  bit  from  chunks  of  meat  on  the 
ends  of  their  forks  like  swine  with  their  forefeet  in 
a  trough. 

Sitting  at  one  end,  I  was  able  to  size  up  my  fel- 
low-firemen, twenty-five  of  whom  were  devouring 
food  with  great  relish  as  they  chattered  like  mag- 
pies, mostly  in  a  foreign  tongue.  Negroes  of  all 
shades,  Mexicans,  Poles,  Italians,  Greeks,  all  sweated 
out,  thin  and  bleached  to  the  shade  of  a  cadaver. 
I  speculated  again  as  to  how  young  Strong  would 
mix  with  this  motley  crew,  and  why  he  had  allowed 
himself  to  choose  stoking  as  a  means  of  livelihood. 

After  eating  I  went  below,  but  Strong  had  not 
moved  and  it  seemed  that  his  thin  white  hands  and 


15 


expensive  footwear  were  more  out  of  place  than 
ever.  I  wondered  if  he  had  any  money  left. 
Usually  were  to  be  found  some  light-fingered  gentry 
among  tramp-steamer  firemen,  so  I  took  a  small 
chain  and  padlock  from  my  bag  and  chained  his 
grip  with  mine  to  a  bunk  stanchion. 

Returning  to  the  deck,  it  was  something  of  a 
shock  to  note  the  ship  in  complete  darkness,  no 
light  visible  save  the  red  and  green  signals  on  either 
side.  Later  I  learned  that  the  globes  were  removed 
from  the  passenger  cabins  to  prevent  even  a  flash 
from  the  rooms  of  any  one  disinclined  to  obey 
"Lights  out"  at  seven  p.  m.  by  order  of  the  Naval 
authorities. 

After  clearing  Sandy  Hook  and  rounding  Scot- 
land lightship,  by  locating  the  North  Star  I  saw 
that  the  skipper  was  heading  a  little  east  of  south 
against  a  sharp,  cold  wind,  close  in  to  the  Jersey 
coast,  where  lights  were  plainly  visible.  I  was 
rather  astonished  to  see  all  lifeboats  lowered  from 
their  davits  to  the  level  of  the  steerage  deck,  and  by 
edging  down  that  way,  saw  they  were  provisioned 
with  water,  biscuits,  lanterns  and  all  necessary 
equipment  for  immediate  use.  Then  I  realized  that 


16 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

young  Strong  had  not  only  chosen  an  unusual  occu- 
pation but  a  rather  unpropitious  time  in  which  to 
sign  up  for  duty  on  the  high  seas. 

But  with  visions  of  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
the  hour  assigned  us  to  begin  our  work,  I  returned 
to  the  bunkroom  to  go  to  bed. 

Hiram  Strong  had  moved  neither  hand  nor  foot, 
but  his  breathing  was  more  normal.  A  dark  blue 
light  was  the  only  illumination  in  the  place,  giving 
to  everything  a  mere  shadowy  appearance.  I  was 
glad  to  notice  that  the  place  was  well  ventilated, 
fairly  clean,  and  likely  to  be  free  from  vermin. 

At  three-thirty  in  the  morning  a  heavy  hand  was 
laid  on  us,  and  we  were  told  to  roll  out  to  go  on 
watch.  To  my  surprise,  young  Strong  responded  at 
once,  with  much  yawning  and  stretching.  Now  and 
then  he  would  sigh  deeply,  ending  in  a  sort  of  dis- 
mal moan,  hard  to  tell  whether  from  resignation  or 
abandon.  He  spoke  for  the  first  time  after  I  had 
tumbled  out  and  had  begun  pulling  on  my  shoes. 
He  seemed  to  recognize  me  in  the  uncertain  light. 

"Do  we  get  anything  to  eat  before  we  go  to 
work?"  he  asked,  leaning  against  his  bunk  dressed 
in  the  correct  street  attire  in  which  he  had  slept. 


17 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Yes,  I  think  by  going  aft  to  the  ship's  kitchen 
we  can  get  something;  coffee,  anyhow,"  I  replied, 
stripping  down  to  my  underwear. 

"Is  that  the  way  you  go  to  work?"  he  asked, 
quickly  noticing  my  matter-of-fact  preparations. 

"Yes." 

"Why?"  he  asked,  surprised. 

"Well,  it's  pretty  hot  down  there;  and  besides, 
it's  very  dirty,"  I  replied,  pleasantly  but  convincing- 
ly. "Shoes,  pants  and  undershirt  are  about  all  you 
can  stand,"  I  added. 

I  had  to  wait  a  while  for  him  to  remove  all  but 
those  needful  garments  before  starting  for  the 
kitchen,  there  to  find  good  hot  coffee  and  a  dish  of 
that  same  thick  soup. 

He  followed  my  lead  again,  silently,  deliberately 
drinking  two  cups  of  coffee  and  eating  the  soup. 
Then  it  was  time  for  us  to  go. 

He  negotiated  the  several  narrow  iron  stairs  lead- 
ing down  to  the  boiler-room  like  a  cat  avoiding 
water,  and  looked  ruefully  at  his  hands  blackened 
by  contact  with  the  greasy  handrail.  A  pink  silk 
undershirt  and  polished  shoes  contrasted  strangely 
with  the  coarse,  black  pull-on's  and  dingy  brogans 


18 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

of  those  at  work.  He  must  have  noticed  the  contrast. 
Stripped,  he  showed  a  compact  figure,  with  good 
lung  capacity  and  likely  a  good  heart,  that  being 
an  absolute  necessity  in  order  to  tolerate  the  ex- 
treme heat  of  a  boiler-room. 

The  engineer  on  watch  asked  me  if  I  had  ever 
fired,  as  though  expecting  an  affirmative. 

"Yes,"  I  replied. 

"But  this  young  fellow  is  a  'greeny'?" 

"Yes— I  think  so." 

"You  and  him  take  the  two  end  boilers  on  the 
left — they  are  as  cool  as  any — and  give  him  a  few 
tips,  will  you,  till  he  gets  his  hand  in?  Two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  pounds  on  the  gauge,"  he  added, 
as  a  hint  to  keep  the  dial  at  that  notch.  He  then 
told  Strong  I  would  show  him  what  to  do. 

As  we  moved  down  over  the  piles  of  coal  between 
a  battery  of  boilers  facing  the  rather  narrow  cor- 
ridor between  them,  Strong  remarked  to  me,  "I'll 
do  the  best  I  can,  sir !" 

It  did  not  seem  so  very  hot  when  we  first  went 
in,  but  I  noticed  there  was  only  one  ventilator,  which 
came  down  about  midway. 

Strong  followed  me  over  to  the  end  and  watched 


19 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

me  with  interest  when  I  took  the  twelve-foot  poker 
— a  one-inch  steel  bar  with  a  big  eye  bent  on  one 
end  and  spatula  shaped  at  the  other — for  the  pur- 
pose of  freeing  the  clinkers  from  the  grates  before 
shaking  them  down  into  the  ash  pan. 

"I  will  clean  your  fire  for  you  this  time  and  you 
can  see  how  it's  done,"  I  suggested,  and  proceeded 
to  do  so.  "You  know,  the  first  thing  you  do  when 
going  on  watch  is  to  clean  the  fire,  but  it  must  be 
done  quickly  to  keep  the  steam  from  going  down 
too  much."  He  listened  attentively  and  good- 
naturedly,  but  still  silent,  as  one  about  to  be  ini- 
tiated into  a  college  fraternity  and  was  waiting  for 
something  to  happen. 

I  handed  him  a  scoop  and  told  him  to  put  in  a 
half  dozen  scoop-loads  at  a  time  and  to  be  sure 
and  get  it  well  back  on  the  grates.  I  then  proceeded 
to  clean  my  own  grate. 

Taking  up  the  scoop,  he  filled  it  brimful,  and 
started  for  the  furnace  door  like  a  girl  shoveling 
snow.  He  missed  the  narrow  opening  and  the  coal 
fell  off  into  the  ashes.  He  did  not  swear  as  I  had 
expected  but  glanced  sheepishly  at  me,  then  about 
him,  to  see  if  others  noticed  it,  but  we  were  all 


20 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

too  busy  with  our  own  back-breaking  jobs  to  pay 
heed  to  his  worries. 

Determined  to  be  successful,  he  walked  close  to 
the  furnace  door,  exposing  his  face  and  hands  to 
the  glaring  fire,  and  succeeded  in  getting  the  next 
shovelful  pretty  well  back  on  the  grates.  After  re- 
peating this  a  half  dozen  times  his  face  took  on  a 
"Turkey  red"  and  he  puffed  like  a  lizard. 

After  a  few  more  trials  and  a  little  more  instruc- 
tion the  novelty  of  doing  it  well  seemed  to  interest 
him,  and  two  hours  wore  away.  He  soon  learned 
to  watch  the  steam  gauge  above  him  and  kept  it 
pointing  at  the  requisite  two  hundred  and  eighty. 

At  the  end  of  the  shift  he  leaned  heavily  against 
the  bulkhead  next  to  his  furnace,  panting  like  a  race- 
horse. The  perspiration  rolled  off  of  him  until 
even  his  well-tailored  trousers  were  wet  and  his 
pink  silk  undershirt  a  sight  to  behold.  His  face  was 
the  shade  of  pickled  beets  mixed  with  coal  dust, 
and  his  hands  the  color  of  the  lobsters  he  was  ac- 
customed to  eat  after  midnight,  his  palms  blistered 
and  sore,  from  the  friction  of  the  shovel  handle. 

His  neat  black  shoes,  now  grimy  and  rough,  were 
'full  of  water  and  pinched  his  feet.  I  did  not  give 


21 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

him  the  extra  pair  of  soft  cotton  flannel  gloves 
I  had  brought  along  for  him  until  he  asked  me 
where  I  had  got  mine.  Then  I  showed  him  how 
to  cool  off  by  standing  under  the  ventilator,  for 
which  he  seemed  very  grateful.  He  looked  cu- 
riously at  me,  evidently  discovering  that  he  and  I 
were  the  only  ones  down  in  the  furnace  room  not 
of  a  hardened  class.  He  seemed  inclined  to  stay 
under  the  refreshing  ventilator,  and  I  noted  the 
hands  of  his  steam  gauge  drop  back  to  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy,  so  I  opened  the  door,  cleaned 
the  grates  and  spread  over  a  fresh  bed  of  coal. 

He  came  over  while  I  was  doing  this,  and  I  gave 
him  some  little  tricks  on  how  to  spread  the  fuel  and 
not  expose  his  hands  and  face  to  the  heat. 

He  seemed  to  appreciate  this  and  surprised  me 
by  his  cleverness  in  making  use  of  my  tips.  For  a 
time  he  revived  and  I  thought  he  was  going  to  pull 
through  his  first  watch  all  right,  but  at  the  end  of 
another  hour  he  became  shaky  on  his  legs,  and  his 
arms  scarcely  supported  the  empty  shovel.  The  in- 
tense heat  and  effort  had  a  telling  effect  on  him  and 
it  did  not  surprise  me  when  he  toppled  over  on 
the  coal  pile  in  a  dead  faint. 


22 


CHAPTER  II 

WHEN  Hiram  Strong  collapsed  it  did  not  surprise 
the  other  firemen.  It  was  not  a  rare  occurrence  for 
even  seasoned  firemen  to  faint.  But  it  did  amaze 
the  engine-room  crew  at  the  ease  with  which  I  took 
him  in  my  arms,  for  he  weighed  at  least  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  pounds.  I  laid  him  down  beneath 
the  ventilator,  where  the  others  had  prepared  a 
place  for  him.  I  then  removed  his  cap  and  dashed 
a  pail  of  cold  water  over  his  face  and  chest,  coal 
dust  and  dirt  having  washed  up  in  his  black,  wavy 
hair. 

For  the  first  time  since  I  had  met  him  I  got  a 
good  look  at  the  youngster's  face.  Even  during  this 
temporary  lapse  the  slightly  unturned  corners  of  his 
mouth  and  the  red  of  his  lips  showed,  lending  the 
impression  that  he  was  about  to  break  out  into  a 
sunny  smile.  There  was  nothing  about  his  features 
to  indicate  the  confirmed  inebriate  or  debauchee. 
He  had  a  good,  honest  ear,  a  clean  neck  and  a  gen- 
erous breadth  of  shoulder.  After  making  sure  of 


23 


his  respiration  and  heart  action,  I  returned  to  m] 
post  to  feed  his  furnace  and  mine.  To  maintain  two 
hundred  and  eighty  pounds  of  steam  on  the  gauge 
required  constant,  back-breaking  shoveling.  In  a 
few  minutes  both  furnaces  were  roaring,  with  one 
blowing  off  a  notice  to  the  engineer  that,  although 
one  of  the  crew  had  fainted,  the  boilers  were  hot. 

It  was  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before 
Strong  raised  himself  to  a  sitting  posture  and 
looked  over  toward  me.  He  was  dazed,  and  blinked 
like  an  owl.  I  waved  to  him  to  stay  where  he  was 
and  rest.  For  answer  he  made  a  "cat's  cradle"  by 
clasping  his  hands  before  his  knees,  unmindful  of 
the  fact  that  he  was  seated  in  a  pool  of  water  and 
saturated  coal  dust. 

We  evidently  had  a  good  head  wind  outside,  for 
it  rushed  down  through  the  big  ventilator  as  though 
driven  by  an  exhaust  fan,  thus  rapidly  reviving 
Strong.  However,  it  would  not  be  well  for  him 
to  remain  in  the  draft  too  long,  so  I  crossed  over 
and  helped  him  to  regain  his  feet.  He  reeled  and 
stumbled  as  he  walked  back  to  his  station,  which 
took  grit,  but  there  was  no  evidence  of  self-pity. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  watch  Strong  was  un- 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

able  to  do  much  work.  First  he  tried  to  shovel  coal, 
but  found  he  couldn't  lift  it.  However,  he  insisted 
on  staying  around  while  I  shoveled,  occasionally 
opening  and  closing  the  furnace  doors.  All  the 
while  he  maintained  his  attitude  of  silence,  apparent- 
ly taking  it  for  granted  that  I  understood  the  situa- 
tion and  was  willing  to  help  him.  At  last  the  eight 
o'clock  relief  crew  came,  and  although  still  weak,  he 
made  the  narrow  iron  stair  to  the  deck  much  easier 
than  when  he  descended  four  hours  before.  He 
was  adapting  himself  to  the  conditions  the  best  he 
could. 

Strong  soon  washed  up  and  donned  clean  wear, 
which  seemed  to  refresh  him,  but  coal  dust  still 
showing  about  his  eyes,  ears  and  brow  gave  him 
the  appearance  of  an  actor  made  up  for  his  part. 
At  mess  he  devoured  soup  with  relish,  but  when  he 
tried  the  stew,  made  up  of  overdone  neck,  cuts  of 
fried  beef  and  cold  potatoes,  he  tossed  the  pan  and 
its  contents  overboard. 

"I  need  sleep  more  than  that  stuff,"  he  said,  and 
straightway  made  for  his  bunk. 

Six  hours  later  I  found  him  standing  beside  me 
at  the  rail  in  the  waist  of  the  ship  and  he  appeared 


25 


to  be  much  improved.  His  fine  skin  glowed,  but 
his  hands  looked  as  though  they  had  been  parboiled, 
with  palms  badly  blistered.  His  trousers  were  dirty, 
dry,  stiff,  baggy  and  wrinkled.  On  the  upper  part 
of  his  body  he  wore  nothing  but  a  silk  undershirt, 
and  for  his  overworked  feet  he  had  pulled  on  a 
pair  of  sandals. 

It  is  quite  as  impossible  to  disguise  a  real  man 
as  it  is  for  a  make-believe  to  pass  himself  off  for  a 
gentleman.  Though  unaware  of  how  to  go  about 
it,  he  began  taking  my  measure  quite  as  coldly  as  I 
was  his,  after  which  he  spoke  his  first  connected 
words  since  we  came  together. 

"It  was  mighty  decent  of  you  to  help  me  out  last 
night,"  he  said,  affably,  holding  a  lighted  cigarette 
contemplatively.  Evidently  his  decision  favored 
me. 

"Every  one  has  to  make  a  beginning;  you  did 
very  well  to  stay  there  during  the  whole  of  your 
first  watch,"  said  I,  ignoring  his  thanks. 

"Is  it  always  as  hot  down  there  as  it  was  last 
night?" 

"Yes;  sometimes  more  so.  You  see,  last  night 
we  had  a  head  wind." 


26 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"After  my  hands  harden,  and  my  stomach  be- 
comes accustomed  to  the  food,  I  guess  I'll  be  able 
to  stand  it  all  right."  As  he  said  this  he  looked  at 
the  palms  of  his  hands  ruefully.  The  backs  were 
scarlet  and  glossy. 

"You  can  if  you  want  to,"  I  replied.  "You  have 
the  build.  The  food  is  coarse,  but  perhaps  the  best 
for  that  kind  of  work.  Four  hours  is  not  very  long 
to  stand  anything;  you  have  not  worked  lately?" 

"Lately? — never!"  Then  as  though  frightened 
at  my  reference  to  his  past  or  even  himself,  he  sur- 
prised me  by  asking,  "How  soon  do  we  eat  again  ? — 
I  believe  I  could  eat  some  of  that  horse-meat  now." 

"You  think  it's  horse-meat?" 

"Well,  if  it's  not  horse-meat,  it  came  off  a  bull 
just  behind  the  horns.  However,  my  grates  are 
clean  and  there's  a  good  draft;  I  believe  I  can  get 
up  steam  on  it  now,"  he  ended  with  a  reckless 
laugh,  indicating  that,  although  languid  from  his 
final  fling  in  New  York,  he  had  noted  fully  how  to 
proceed  with  his  work  in  the  boiler-room. 

"Perhaps  by  going  back  to  the  galley  we  can 
get  a  bite.  It's  nearly  two  hours  before  we  go  on 
watch,  but  it's  better  to  give  the  stomach  a  chance 


27 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

before  doing  hard  work,"  I  suggested,  leading  the 
way  to  that  mysterious  quarter  of  the  ship  where 
the  cook  is  king. 

This  time  we  inherited  mutton  stew  and  the 
usual  bread  allowance,  which  we  ate  as  we  sat  on 
the  edge  of  a  hatch. 

Looking  across  the  water,  I  noted  that  we  were 
still  hugging  shore,  but  were  now  far  enough  south 
to  be  free  from  the  chill  November  winds  of  New 
York.  We  were  now  favored  with  a  balmy,  in- 
vigorating breeze. 

Strong's  first  question  was  not  unexpected  after 
he  glanced  at  some  curious  passengers  on  the  deck 
above  us,  amused  at  our  sumptuous  meal  and  man- 
ner of  taking  it. 

"How  do  you  happen  among  this  gang?"  he 
asked,  laying  his  bread  allowance  on  the  hatch  and 
poising  a  knife  and  fork  that  came  with  the  ship 
direct  from  the  builders  twenty  years  before. 

I  looked  at  him  squarely  and  knew  I  had  to  give 
a  logical  reply.  His  straight  nose  showed  the  pow- 
er of  logical  analysis.  The  thought  came  to  me  that 
he  had  somehow  robbed  a  marble  image  of  Cleo- 
patra of  its  nose  and  clapped  it  on  his  own  face. 


28 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

There  could  be  no  question  of  his  inherent  refine- 
ment. Such  a  person  one  usually  answers  civilly, 
though  the  questions  be  frivolous. 

"Well,  you  see,  in  order  to  get  a  marine  license 
you  must  do  a  certain  amount  of  sea  duty  in  the 
fire  room." 

"Is  a  marine  license  so  very  desirable?'' 

"Chief  engineer  is  a  pretty  good  berth,  especially 
now.  Those  running  in  the  war  zone  get  good  pay 
and  a  big  bonus  besides,  you  know." 

"Are  we  in  the  war  zone?"  he  asked  with  some 
surprise. 

"Yes — don't  you  see  those  lifeboats  swung  out? 
One  of  the  firemen  told  me  last  night  that  this  line 
had  lost  two  ships — both  torpedoed." 

"And  I  suppose  the  firemen  get  the  worst  of  it  on 
account  of  being  so  far  below?"  he  queried,  glanc- 
ing nervously  at  the  dim  shore  line. 

"Yes.  Then,  you  know,  there  are  supposed  to 
be  mines  all  along  the  coast." 

Without  comment  he  gnawed  the  last  piece  of 
meat  from  the  bone  and  tossed  the  refuse  over- 
board. Two  young  girls  among  the  passengers 

29 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

above  giggled  at  that.  Strong  flushed,  but  gave 
no  other  outward  sign  of  annoyance. 

"Then  we  are  liable  to  be  plugged  any  time?" 
he  asked. 

"Yes;  there  is  a  possibility." 

"Well,  if  I  get  another  dose  like  I  got  last  night 
I  believe  I  would  welcome  it,"  he  laughed,  looking 
at  his  blistered  hands. 

"You  will  soon  learn  how  to  favor  yourself,  and 
the  work  won't  be  so  hard." 

"But  you  say  the  men  who  do  the  actual  work 
get  the  worst  of  things." 

"Yes — I  think  so.  Firemen  are  the  feet  of  the 
ship,  you  know." 

"I  think  I  was  all  feet  last  night,"  he  replied, 
smiling  dolefully.  "I  have  heard  professors  rant 
about  the  dignity  of  labor,"  he  replied,  arising  with 
the  empty  pan,  having  enjoyed  the  first  full  meal 
he  had  ever  actually  earned.  "However,  I  have 
signed  for  a  round  trip  and  I'm  going  to  stick  if  it 
kills  me,"  he  added,  half  to  himself,  as  he  went 
below. 

When  he  came  on  watch  at  four  the  fire  of  ad- 
venture had  taken  the  place  of  Hiram  Strong's 


30 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

glassy  stare  of  debauchery.  He  cleaned  and  shook 
his  grates  without  coaching,  heaving  the  coal  well 
back  in  the  fire-box.  I  knew  that  every  bone  and 
muscle  of  his  body  was  crying  out  in  protest.  Later 
I  saw  blood  from  the  blisters  show  through  the  cot- 
ton gloves,  but  he  worked  stolidly,  silent  and  grim. 
Surely  he  was  game. 

We  were  getting  farther  south,  the  wind  coming 
hot  and  the  boiler-room  an  inferno.  As  Strong 
worked  he  perspired  to  the  point  of  melting.  I  saw 
him  grit  his  teeth,  determined  not  to  show  another 
white  feather,  and  when  we  were  washing  up  at 
the  end  of  that  four-hour  watch,  there  was  some- 
thing of  unction  in  his  remark,  to  himself :  "Thank 
God,  it  didn't  get  me  this  time!"  Sensibly  he  went 
to  his  bunk  without  eating. 


31 


CHAPTER  III 

OUR  shift  was  off  at  eight  p.  m.  with  duty  ahead 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  But  not  feeling  dis- 
posed to  sleep  just  then,  I  began  to  study  our  posi- 
tion. Twenty-four  hours  ago  we  had  cleared  Scot- 
land lightship,  and  I  figured  we  were  something 
like  three  hundred  miles  south  of  New  York,  off 
the  Virginia  capes. 

The  ship,  as  on  the  previous  night,  was  wrapped 
in  complete  darkness  as  we  emerged  from  the  boiler- 
room,  and  I  could  just  make  out  the  shadowy  form 
of  the  officer  on  the  bridge,  who  moved  about  ner- 
vously. I  glanced  across  the  expanse  of  water  but 
no  light  could  be  seen  in  any  direction.  The  only 
activity  was  the  sounding  lead  which  was  thrown 
overboard  occasionally. 

We  still  had  the  southern  head  wind  which  made 
it  too  hot  for  sleeping  below,  so  I  decided  to  bunk 
on  deck,  and  went  below  for  a  blanket.  Young 
Strong  slept  as  though  dead,  even  though  the  quar- 
ters were  close  and  stuffy.  I  was  glad  to  escape  to 


32 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

the  deck  with  my  covering.  As  I  laid  down,  expect- 
ing to  doze  off  at  once,  I  began  to  hear  sub- 
dued voices.  I  heard  some  one  say :  "You  know,  we 
passed  him  this  afternoon  at  three.  He  couldn't  be 
over  two  hours  behind  us."  At  first  I  wasn't  sure 
I  was  awake,  for  the  voices  were  almost  inaudible. 
I  was  sure  I  had  slept  some  time. 

"Did  the  wireless  say  all  were  taken  off?" 

I  could  now  make  out  two  officers  talking  near 
me,  but  they  were  unaware  of  my  proximity.  Then 
came  the  answer  to  the  question: 

"Yes;  the  report  came  from  the  shore  station 
where  the  lifeboats  landed,  but  if  the  subs  are  op- 
erating up  there,  we're  probably  safe." 

Manifestly  they  referred  to  some  ship  that  was 
torpedoed  two  or  three  hours  behind  us. 

"That's  all  right,  but  you  know  well  enough  that 
mines  have  been  sown  here  for  the  Chesapeake 
traffic." 

"We're  not  due  there  yet,  and  it's  a  thousand- 
to-one  shot  that  we'll  get  by.  We've  passed  that 
spot  many  times.  I  believe  that  talk  about  mines 
is  all  bunk.  Anyway,  you  know  the  Old  Man 
changes  his  course  at  that  point  to  keep  the  sup- 


33 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

posed  mine  field  shoreward.  Go  to  bed:  you'll  be 
bawled  out  quick  enough  if  we  hit  anything." 

Then  all  became  quiet,  but  now  thoroughly  awak- 
ened, I  went  down  to  the  galley  to  cajole  some  food 
from  the  cook.  There,  to  my  surprise,  I  found 
young  Strong  on  the  same  errand. 

"You  had  a  good  sleep?"  was  my  greeting.  I 
needn't  have  asked,  for  he  looked  rested  and  bright, 
even  jaunty. 

"Five  hours;  it's  past  one  now.  Where  did 
you  sleep  ? — I  did  not  see  you  in  your  bunk."  His 
voice  sounded  rather  chummy,  as  the  cook  relented 
and  helped  us  liberally.  We  told  him  we  had  both 
gone  off  watch  without  eating. 

We  took  the  food  into  the  firemen's  messroom, 
lighted  by  a  single  dark  blue  bulb,  and  sat  opposite 
each  other,  a  long,  narrow,  oak  plank  between  us, 
picnic  style.  The  cook  enjoined  us  to  shut  the  door, 
to  cover  even  the  dim  illumination.  The  closed 
windows  of  the  messroom  were  painted  black  so 
that  not  the  slightest  trace  of  light  could  escape. 

"How  do  you  feel  this  morning?"  I  asked. 

"I  am  surprised  at  how  well  I  do  feel.  If  it 
wasn't  for  my  hands  I  would  feel  fine,"  he  replied 


34 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

cordially,  sort  of  self-congratulatory,  a  half  smile 
creeping  about  his  non-secretive  mouth. 

"Moisten  the  inside  of  your  gloves  with  petro- 
leum, and  your  hands  will  soon  heal  if  you  are  care- 
'ful,"  I  advised  quietly.  "The  oilers  will  give  you 
some." 

"It  is  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  my  system 
has  had  the  nicotine  and  other  bug  juices  washed 
out  of  it;  a  cigarette  tastes  different  now,"  he 
exulted,  though  evidently  looking  for  sympathy. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  continued,  as  he  cornered  a 
chunk  of  meat  in  the  bottom  of  the  pan  and  tried 
to  sever  it  with  the  ancient  cutlery,  "I  always 
thought  I  could  work,  and  now  I  know  it." 

"Then  this  is  really  your  maiden  labor  sweat?" 
I  asked,  seemingly  incredulous. 

"Say,"  he  began,  still  laboring  with  the  meat, 
"I  think  this  ship  bought  a  job  lot  of  sheep,  and  there 
were  some  granddaddies  in  the  lot."  I  smiled  an  as- 
sent. 

"If  any  one  had  told  me  a  few  days  ago  that  T 
would  be  sitting  on  board  a  ship  before  an  oak 
plank,  eating  old  ram  with  relish,  and  out  of  a 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

laundry  vessel  at  that,  I  would  have  believed  him 
insane." 

I  laughed  outright  and  mumbled  something  about 
"crises  in  every  one's  life." 

"My  crisis  came,  all  right,  the  other  day.  It  was 
like  the  sidewalk  coming  up  and  hitting  me  in  the 
face,  it  so  upset  me — oh,  it  was  terrible.  I  am 
surprised  that  I  can  talk  about  it  so  soon."  There 
was  a  ruefulness  and  disappointment  in  his  tone. 

I  smiled  encouragingly  as  he  went  on. 

"I  knew  there  was  trouble  ahead  when  the  Gov- 
ernor called  me  into  his  office — there  always  was — 
but  I  expected,  as  usual,  to  win  him  over.  I  found 
for  the  first  time  why  men  called  him  a  'Gold- 
Beater.'  I  sat  across  a  long  table  from  him,  never 
before  realizing  how  big  a  man  he  was,  his  chest 
seemingly  as  broad  as  those  of  two  ordinary  men. 
He  wasn't  mad,  just  cold  and  immovable.  He  gave 
me  some  money  and  told  me  that  was  the  last.  I  had 
to  get  out  and  work  or  starve.  What  I  decided  to 
do  did  not  interest  him.  He  said  he  didn't  want 
to  see  me  again  and  that  he  didn't  care  whether  I 
went  to  hell  or  to  work."  Strong  spoke  as  one  re- 
calling a  nightmare. 


36 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"I  suppose  you  have  not  been  able  to  figure  out 
yet  who  is  right?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  I  think  there  is  little  doubt  who  is  right,  but 
just  how  long  it  will  take  me  to  recognize  the  fact  is 
the  question.  You  see,  the  Governor  was  never 
stingy  or  tight  with  me.  That's  why  he  was  called 
a  'Gold-Beater';  he  has  made  money,  but  he  owns 
the  money  instead  of  it  owning  him — at  least  that's 
what  his  cronies  say.  And  there's  no  doubt  about 
the  fact  that  I  should  go  to  work,  but  in  the  two 
or  three  days  I  have  had  to  think  about  it  I  can't 
see  why  he  waited  so  long.  It's  downright  wrong 
to  allow  a  fellow  to  believe  he's  got  nothing  to  do 
but  spend  money  and  get  into  trouble  for 
years  at  a  stretch,  then  stop  everything  all  of 
a  sudden.  I  think  that's  where  the  Governor's 
wrong.  But,  you  see,  I  can  work,  and  I'm  going  to 
fool  the  old  man."  Bending  over  toward  me,  he 
added,  "But  I  don't  know  how  I  would  have  come 
out  on  my  first  try  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you." 

"Oh — I  have  done  nothing  but  pass  on  to  you 
what  was  done  for  me  when  I  started.  Later  on 
you  will  perhaps  admit  that  men  who  work  with 
their  hands,  if  approached  right,  are  more  kindly 


37 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

disposed  and  even  more  generous  than  others.  But 
I  am  glad  you  speak  English,  to  say  nothing  of 
•finding  a  good  fellow,"  I  replied,  approvingly. 

"Well,  I  am  not  only  glad  to  find  some  one  who 
uses  English,  but,  like  the  kid  I  really  am,  I  am  glad 
you  listen  to  me.  I  got  such  a  jolt.  You  see,  it  was 
the  first  time  I  ever  felt  the  lash  of  the  paternal 
whip,  and  one  or  two  cuts  were  enough.  I  now 
know  why  the  Governor  is  such  a  power  among  men 
— he  does  things  so  thoroughly  and  quietly.  There 
wasn't  any  row — he  was  ready  for  me  and  I  don't 
realize  yet  how  well  he  prepared  things,  or  how 

much  he  apparently  knows  of  my  movements " 

He  hesitated  with  a  sorrowful  shake  of  his  head 
and  resumed  eating. 

"You  found  he  was  checking  you  up  pretty 
close?"  said  I,  to  urge  him  on. 

"He  must  have  known  just  how  many  breaths  I 
took.  He  said  I  was  a  poor  investment :  that  since 
my  mother  died  when  I  was  three  I  had  cost  him 
about  two  hundred  thousand,  and  he  was  closing 
out  a  poor  proposition.  He  informed  me  that  I  was 
to  consider  myself  no  more  a  son  of  his ;  was  even 
sorry  I  would  have  to  use  his  name.  And  the  two 


38 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

thousand,  his  share  of  fixing  up  a  man  that  I,  and 
three  others,  ran  down  in  the  park  with  an  auto, 
was  the  last  assessment  he  would  stand ;  and  before 
I  knew  what  was  really  happening  I  was  leaving 
without  even  a  good-by.  I  knew  I  was  going  to 
work,  but  thought  I  would  have  a  last  grand  night 
and  then  pull  out.  But  do  you  know,  that  in  less 
than  an  hour,  wherever  I  went,  every  one  knew  that 
Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  had  been  disinherited  and  kicked 
out.  I  then  learned  what  New  York  thinks  of  a 
'has-been.'  I  tried  to  drown  the  thought  in  liquor, 
but  it  floated  in  spite  of  my  most  frantic  efforts. 
I  guess  there  was  a  good  deal  of  the  last  pickle  in 
me  when  you  saw  me  first?" 

I  laughed  and  Strong  continued : 

"Oh,  I'm  going  to  beat  it — I've  got  to  beat  it," 
he  said,  closing  his  mouth  savagely  and  tossing  the 
empty  pan  down  toward  the  other  end  of  the  table. 
"I  guess  it's  about  time  for  us  to  go  to  hell,  isn't  it?" 
he  added,  lighting  a  cigarette. 

"Yes — all  we  need  down  in  that  hole  is  the  boss 
with  a  pitch-fork  tail ;  we've  got  the  shovel,  coal  and 
heat." 

"Say,  Ben — I  believe  I  heard  them  call  you  Ben 


39 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

— do  you  think  the  'Old  Boy'  with  the  forked  tail 
gives  his  furnace  men  four  hours  on  and  eight  off, 
and  great  granddaddy  sheep  stew  for  eats  and  makes 
'em  sleep  in  tiers  ?"  he  asked,  as  we  laughed  our  way 
to  the  boiler-room. 


40 


HIRAM  STRONG  was  in  need  of  oil  for  his  gloves, 
and,  left  to  myself,  my  mind  reverted  to  the  con- 
versation I  had  overheard  between  the  ship's  offi- 
cers. Shoreward,  about  a  half-mile,  I  could  make 
out  a  lightship.  Being  somewhat  familiar  with  the 
coast,  I  decided  it  must  be  the  Cape  Charles  light. 
As  soon  as  we  were  abreast  of  it,  our  ship  changed 
its  course  several  points  to  the  west  and  seaward, 
just  as  the  officer  said  it  would.  I  observed  this 
and  recalled  the  other  officer's  cocksureness  that  the 
ship  had  been  running  by  or  through  the  supposed 
mine  field  for  months.  Nevertheless  I  confessed  to 
myself  a  distinct  feeling  of  anxiety  as  we  went  down 
into  the  region  Hiram  had  properly  designated  as 
"Hell,"  to  begin  another  four-hour  draft  on  en- 
durance and  vitality.  Though  silent,  Strong  re- 
mained cheerful  and  never  for  a  moment  allowed 
his  steam  gauge  to  drop.  The  draft  was  good, 
making  the  work  easier. 

There  is  something  about  labor  in  intense  heat 


41 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

that  calls  for  silence,  but  after  an  extended  stillness 
there  comes  an  oppressive  feeling  that  makes  one 
want  to  break  out  into  a  yell.  Often  in  a  steel  mill 
a  weird  howl  will  be  started  by  some  one,  to  be 
taken  up  by  others  until  a  bedlam  is  created  among 
the  thousands  of  workers.  There  is  a  certain  rhythm 
in  it,  a  sort  of  boisterous  chant,  a  good-natured  pro- 
test against  conditions.  Then,  suddenly,  it  will  die 
out  just  as  quickly  as  it  started  and  quiet  will  reign 
for  an  hour  or  two. 

Such  a  yell  had  been  started  by  an  Italian  stand- 
ing under  the  ventilator.  Then  it  was  that  I  learned 
that  Hiram  Strong  had  a  voice,  and  although  more 
than  half  our  watch  had  passed,  he  felt  vigorous 
enough  to  join  in  the  general  outbreak. 

As  though  in  protest  against  the  riotous  exhibi- 
tion, the  engines  stopped,  a  circumstance  that  regu- 
lar firemen  secretly  desire,  for  it  means  a  respite  in 
their  conflict  with  the  blazing  furnace  and  grates, 
with  the  excitement  of  uncertainty  added.  The 
pause  may  continue  for  a  minute  or  an  hour.  At 
any  rate  the  trouble  in  this  case  had  been  shifted  to 
the  engine  room. 

Before  the  engines  first  stopped  I  thought  I  heard 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

a  noise,  but  it  wasn't  loud  enough  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  others,  so  concluded  it  must  have  been  a 
slight  shift  in  the  cargo  near  us  and  gave  it  no 
further  thought. 

Hiram  accompanied  me  to  the  far  end  of  the 
furnace  room  for  water,  after  which  we  returned 
and  sat  down  on  the  hot,  iron-sheeted  floor  against 
the  bulkhead  that  flanked  our  station,  from  which 
point  we  viewed  the  whole  length  of  the  narrow 
corridor  between  the  battery  of  blazing  furnaces 
that  generated  the  ship's  power. 

"Did  you  ever  read  Dante's  Inferno?"  he  sur- 
prised me  by  asking. 

"Yes,  but  not  recently." 

"A  tutor  made  me  read  it  as  punishment.  You 
know,  I  never  would  study.  I  guess  that's  what 
makes  the  Governor  so  sore.  I  tried  three  colleges 
and  flunked.  I  was  so  infernally  worthless  that  I 
wouldn't  even  go  in  for  athletics ;  but  what  I  started 
to  say  was  that  I  believe  Dante  must  have  known 
about  the  furnace  room  of  a  steamship,  when  the 
engines  were  at  a  standstill."  He  said  all  this  with 
a  sleepy  grin. 

I  could  see  what  he  meant.    The  engines  had  been 


43 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

stopped  but  a  few  minutes  when  the  entire  fire-room 
crew  succumbed  to  a  lethargic  sleep.  A  serrated 
ridge  of  coal  two  feet  high  extended  the  entire 
length  of  the  room,  on  which  they  had  disposed 
themselves  in  all  sorts  of  postures — some  curled  up 
like  animals  going  into  hibernation,  others 
sprawled  out  full  length,  and  there  were  many  who 
lay  as  though  stricken  dead  while  in  a  reclining  posi- 
tion. Most  of  the  crew  who  worked  in  overalls, 
with  bodies  bared  above  the  waist,  black  and  grimy 
to  the  tousled  hair  now  matted  with  sweat,  laid 
carelessly  about  as  in  death  from  convulsions.  In 
some  cases  they  were  in  such  a  position  that  the 
fierce  light  from  the  cracks  in  the  furnace  doors  gave 
their  faces  a  weird,  deathly  appearance,  and  after 
noting  this,  I  glanced  at  Hiram  and  saw  that  he, 
too,  had  succumbed,  his  head  resting  heavily  against 
the  supporting  bulkhead. 

A  sweet,  irresistible  languor  now  dulled  my  per- 
severance to  keep  awake.  How  long  I  slept  was 
uncertain,  but  I  do  know  that  I  was  awakened  with 
a  start  by  dreaming  of  an  immense  wave,  much 
higher  than  the  ship,  a  solid  perpendicular  wall  of 
green  sea  bearing  us  down — a  veritable  tidal  wave. 


44 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

I  was  sure  the  ship  could  not  survive.  Hiram  was 
tugging  at  my  sleeve. 

"Ben — Ben,  wake  up;  we  have  struck  something 
and  the  ship  is  sinking!"  He  did  not  seem  fright- 
ened, just  urgent. 

"What !— What's  that?"  I  asked,  wondering  if  I 
was  still  dreaming. 

"We've  been  asleep  an  hour.  The  ship's  deserted ; 
I  can't  find  a  living  soul  on  board!  Passengers, 
crew,  and  boats  are  all  gone!"  he  cried,  catching  me 
by  the  arm  and  helping  me  to  rise  hastily.  "No- 
body on  board  but  the  engine-room  shift." 

If  the  effect  of  this  information  on  me  was  magi- 
cal, it  was  electrical  on  other  firemen  and  the  coal 
passers.  One  and  all  seemed  to  hear  it  instantly 
and  made  a  rush  for  the  narrow,  iron  stairs  leading 
up,  which  could  accommodate  but  one  at  a  time. 
Here  they  fought,  as  if  in  death's  last  throes. 

With  a  fiendishness  indescribable,  twelve  or  fif- 
teen men  massed  seemingly  into  one  great  squirm- 
ing monster,  all  legs  and  arms,  kicking,  striking,  bit- 
ing, shouldering  and  trampling  each  other,  emitting 
groans  and  execrations  in  all  languages.  The  strug- 


45 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

gle  was  to  determine  who  should  ascend  the  stairs 
first. 

Young  Strong  seemed  deeply  moved  by  this  ex- 
hibition, but  stood  beside  me,  superior,  contemptu- 
ous, little  impressed  with  the  danger.  He  turned 
toward  me,  saying — 

"Let  'em  fight  it  out;  she  isn't  going  to  sink  at 
once;  she  has  floated  an  hour.  It's  full  daylight 
and  good  weather.  Did  you  ever  see  human  beings 
so  quickly  turned  into  writhing  snakes?" 

"Suppose  we  turn  the  water  on  them,"  I  sug- 
gested, and  we  both  ran  for  an  inch  hose  used  to 
wet  down  the  coal. 

Hiram  aimed  the  nozzle  at  the  struggling  mass 
while  I  opened  the  valve  releasing  the  high  pres- 
sure stream  which  shot  forth  upon  their  bodies.  This 
had  a  cooling  effect  upon  all  but  two  who  were  lost 
to  their  own  safety  in  the  vicious  fight  over  a 
screaming  woman.  These  we  shoved  aside,  while 
the  prospective  victim  escaped.  We  then  hurried 
up  the  three  flights  of  stairs  to  the  main  deck  where 
others  were  attempting  to  lower  one  of  two  re- 
maining lifeboats. 

Strong,  cool  and  collected,  said,  "The  bow  sunk 


46 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

an  hour  ago.  The  sea  is  washing  over  it."  The 
damage  was  located  ahead  of  the  forward  bulk- 
heads and  the  ship  would  probably  float  until  they 
gave  way. 

"We  must  get  our  bags,  Strong,"  said  I,  starting 
forward  to  our  steerage  quarters.  He  followed, 
though  a  little  dubious  about  taking  the  time.  Our 
quarters,  though  not  flooded,  were  very  wet. 

Strong  grabbed  up  all  of  his  belongings  that  were 
outside  of  his  bag,  while  I  attempted  to  free  the 
chain  that  held  them  to  the  stanchion  against  pos- 
sible larceny.  It  seemed  an  interminable  time  be- 
fore I  found  the  key.  Then  we  hurried  back  to 
where  a  mass  of  fighting  men  were  lowering  a  life- 
boat. 

"Good  God,  Ben;  what  is  this?"  exclaimed  Hiram, 
as  we  rounded  the  deckhouse  to  where  the  boats 
had  been  hanging.  All  but  one  had  been  lowered 
and  apparently  all  would  be  saved  but  ourselves  and 
one  officer  in  uniform — he  was  the  captain!  There 
was  no  mistaking  his  great  bulk,  lumpy  skin  and 
small  piggish  eyes. 

As  we  approached  he  turned  upon  us  as  though 
we  had  done  him  great  injury  and  swore  like  a 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

pirate.  He  held  in  his  hand  a  pistol  of  ancient  pat- 
tern as  big  as  an  anchor  shank. 

"I  don't  believe  they  would  have  stopped  if  I  had 
killed  every  damned  one  of  'em!"  he  shouted,  as  if 
to  overawe  us,  "but  you  needn't  think  you  are  going 
to  get  away.  You've  got  to  stay,"  he  added,  grit- 
ting his  teeth  as  he  moved  toward  us,  holding  the 
aged  shooting-iron  down  -at  his  hip  as  clumsily  as 
the  usual  officer  of  a  merchantman. 

I  was  greatly  reassured  by  his  presence  on  the 
ship,  and  also  the  remaining  lifeboat.  We  were 
two  against  one  and  I  was  inclined  to  consider  the 
humor  of  the  situation. 

"Why  should  we  stay  when  every  one  else  has 
.gone,  captain?"  Hiram  asked  this  question  respect- 
fully enough,  glancing  at  me;  then  placed  his  grip 
against  the  deckhouse  and  deliberately  laid  across 
it  his  shirt,  coat,  necktie,  hat  and  shoes. 

The  captain  continued  to  focus  his  two  ferocious 
eyes  upon  us,  and  took  full  time  in  which  to  answer 
Strong's  question. 

"Because  this  ship  ain't  goin'  to  sink,  and  you've 
got  to  help  work  it  over  to  the  beach!"  he  fairly 
shouted,  unable  to  control  himself.  He  was  evi- 


48 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

dently  of  the  old  school  and  as  appropriate  on  a 
passenger  ship  as  a  pig  in  a  parlor.  He  was  unable 
to  see  in  us  anything  more  than  ordinary  firemen. 

"How  can  two  men  run  a  big  ship  like  this?" 
Strong  asked,  keeping  himself  well  in  hand,  though 
there  was  a  glitter  in  his  eye  as  he  glanced  at  me, 
while  advancing  toward  the  captain,  who  still  held 
the  firearm  in  a  hip  position  against  his  six  feet  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  flesh. 

"That's  for  me  to  say,"  he  shot  back  threaten- 
ingly, "an'  if  you  don't  do  it  I'll  put  you  in  irons." 

"We  can't  see  it  that  way,  captain;  besides,  I'm 
afraid "  Then  something  happened  which  indi- 
cated that  Strong  had  acquired  the  art  of  jiujitsu. 

With  the  litheness  of  a  cat  he  sprang  violently 
forward,  struck  the  captain's  wrist  that  held  the 
gun,  and  the  immense  revolver  dropped  to  the  deck 
with  a  thud.  Strong  quickly  kicked  it  overboard 
with  the  same  agility. 

"Captain,  I  was  just  going  to  say  that  you  seemed 
to  handle  that  gun  awkwardly  and  I  feared  it  might 
go  off  accidentally,"  he  said,  as  he  jumped  back  be- 
yond reach.  The  captain's  florid,  lumpy  face  now 
ran  scarlet,  his  eyes  glaring  like  those  of  an  old 


49 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

dog  in  futile  rage.  He  swallowed  hard  but  could 
not  articulate. 

"You  allowed  the  passengers  and  crew  to  leave, 
but  left  the  firemen  down  in  that  hell  hole  to  drown 
like  rats.  We  are  inclined  to  hold  that  against 
you,  captain,"  said  Strong,  quietly  enough.  "There 
is  one  boat  left  and  we  are  going  along,  too,"  he 
said,  turning  to  me  as  I  edged  over  toward  the 
boat. 

"Didn't  I  stay?"  the  captain  was  finally  able  to 
say  in  a  shaky  voice,  with  some  trace  of  a  plea. 

"Yes,  you  stayed,  because  you  would  be  put  down 
for  a  coward  if  you  hadn't,  and  if  there  is  any 
profit  or  glory  you  get  it.  I've  traveled  on  ships 
before  when  I  wasn't  firing,"  Strong  replied  force- 
fully, but  with  no  trace  of  anger,  coming  over  to 
where  I  was  engaged  in  placing  our  baggage  in  the 
lifeboat. 

"But  we  can  save  the  ship  if  you'll  help — I'm 
willing  to  pay  you  extra  if  you'll  stay,"  said  the 
captain,  pleading  outright  now. 

"Well,  that  sounds  different — how  much  will  you 
give  us  to  stay  and  take  chances?"  Strong  asked 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

quickly,  assuming  a  bargaining  attitude,  but  still 
assisting  me  to  lower  the  boat. 

"Why,  I'll — I'll  give  you  fifty  dollars  apiece,"  he 
offered,  as  though  making  a  tremendous  sacrifice. 

"Fifty  dollars  don't  look  good  to  me — how  about 
it,  Ben?"  he  asked,  as  we  halted  the  boat  a  few  feet 
from  the  water.  "The  news  headlines  will  state 
that  the  captain  went  down  with  the  ship,  but  two 
firemen  drowning  with  him  wouldn't  be  worth  an 
aerate  line." 


51 


CHAPTER  V 

HIRAM  STRONG,  JR.,  amazed  me.  Surely  this 
was  an  outcropping  of  the  Gold-Beater's  blood.  He 
may  not  ever  be  a  Gold-Beater  as  the  term  was  ap- 
plied to  his  male  parent,  but  he  was  destined  to  be 
a  gold-getter,  for  he  displayed  evidence  of  that 
trait  when  he  stood  there  actually  dickering  with 
the  captain  for  a  sum  beyond  a  month's  wages  as  a 
fireman. 

The  seas  breaking  over  the  sunken  bow  of  the 
vessel,  and  a  cargo  in  the  hold  worth  at  least  a 
million  and  a  half,  he  had  only  the  captain's  word 
that  the  ship  would  not  sink  at  any  moment.  How- 
ever, he  saw  by  my  attitude  that  I  also  thought  that 
the  wreck  could  be  salvaged. 

And  he  also  saw  that  the  ship  was  wallowing  in 
the  trough  of  the  sea,  while  the  lifeboat  was  near 
the  water  on  the  lea  side,  and  he  knew  that  I  could 
handle  it. 

"You  see,  captain,  we  have  only  your  word  that 
she  isn't  going  to  sink,  and  we  have  lost  confidence 


52 


in  you.  You  left  us  three  stories  down  there  to 
drown  like  rats.  You  got  everybody  else  off  and 
never  thought  of  your  firemen." 

"I  couldn't  think  of  everything,  and  I  tell  you  she 
is  not  going  to  sink,"  shouted  the  captain,  coming 
closer  and  pounding  the  rail  with  his  big  fat  hand. 
"I've  got  to  get  her  to  anchorage  or  on  the  beach, 
and  you've  got  to  help.  Fifty  dollars  is  enough; 
that's  nearly  a  month's  wages,"  he  added,  trying  to 
avoid  his  usual  overbearing. 

"Why  did  you  let  the  crew  go?"  Hiram  shot  at 
him. 

"I  didn't  know  the  for'd  bulkhead  was  holding 
then.  You  know  if  the  for'd  head  holds  she  can't 
sink,"  he  said  vehemently,  appealing  to  me  this 
time.  But  before  I  could  answer  Hiram  was  after 
him  again. 

"And  you  left  us  to  drown!  Our  lives  are  just 
as  valuable  to  us  as  any  of  the  rest  of  the  crew,  and 
maybe  more  than  some  of  them,"  he  said,  looking 
meaningly  at  the  captain,  who  squirmed  visibly,  now 
realizing  that  we  were  not  ordinary  firemen. 

"I'll  give  you  a  hundred  apiece.  Now  stop  talk- 
ing and  come  on.  We'll  have  to  run  her  stern  fore- 


53 


most,  and  if  we  can  keep  the  wheel  going  enough 
for  steerage  way,  the  wind  will  blow  us  in,"  haggled 
the  captain  like  an  old  market  woman. 

"A  hundred  dollars  will  not  interest  me;  how 
about  you,  Ben?"  Hiram  turned  to  me  and  began 
taking  the  lifeboat's  rope  from  the  elect  and  I  did 
the  same.  "You  can  stay  here  and  drown  if  you 
want  to,  but  we're  going.  The  water  here  looks 
pretty  deep,  and  I  understand  when  a  ship  goes 
down  it  makes  a  pretty  big  hole  into  which  we  might 
fall,"  he  added  as  we  began  to  lower  the  boat. 

"How  much  do  you  want?  I've  got  to  save  her," 
he  pleaded  now,  walking  back  and  forth  like  a 
caged  hyena. 

"If  you  hadn't  let  your  wireless  man  go  you 
would  have  had  a  tug  or  another  ship  here  by  this 
time  and  they  would  take  as  salvage  only  about  a 
quarter  of  a  million,"  suggested  Hiram  with  a  cyni- 
cal smile,  stopping  the  descent  of  the  boat  and  mak- 
ing fast  again.  "We'll  stay,  but  you've  got  to  pay. 
Ben  here  knows  something  about  the  engines  and 
I  will  shovel  the  coal,  but  you've  got  to  give  us 
two-fifty  apiece,"  he  added,  taking  away  my  breath 
and  almost  prostrating  the  captain. 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

The  captain  began  to  pace  the  deck  again,  then 
pausing  in  front  of  Hiram,  he  said,  as  though  im- 
bued with  a  big  idea :  "All  right,  I  guess  I'll  have  to 
do  it,  but  you've  got  to  hustle."  Moving  over  to 
me,  he  asked  if  I  knew  how  to  start  the  engines,  to 
which  I  nodded  an  affirmative. 

"But,  Captain,"  interrupted  Hiram  forcibly,  "it's 
got  to  be  cash,"  and  there  came  to  his  mirthful 
mouth  a  certain  hardness  that  surprised  me,  and 
again  started  incipient  apoplexy  within  the  captain. 

"If  I  say  you'll  get  it,  you'll  get  it.  Isn't  my 
word  good  for  that  much?"  he  blurted  out,  trying 
to  control  his  rage. 

"Captain,  you  left  us  to  drown  just  like  kittens 
you  would  like  to  be  rid  of.  Your  word  isn't  worth 
a  counterfeit  dollar.  I  wouldn't  trust  you  for  shoe- 
strings. We've  got  to  have  the  cash — now !"  There 
was  genuine  bitterness  in  Hiram's  voice. 

"I  haven't  that  much  cash  on  the  ship,"  pleaded 
the  captain,  but  with  a  sort  of  wolfish  gleam  in  his 
eyes. 

"All  right,  then.  Come  on,  Ben,  let's  get  out 
of  this.  I  wouldn't  take  his  word  for  one  of  his 
firemen's  rations  of  soup  and  lumpy  stew,  and  if 


55 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

he  gave  us  the  company's  I.  O.  U.,  we  wouldn't  get 
it  for  a  month,  and  they'd  red-tape  it  to  death,"  he 
ended,  starting  for  the  ropes  again. 

"Wait  a  minute  and  I'll  see,"  coaxed  the  captain, 
starting  up  to  his  quarters  nearby. 

"The  old  liar;  he's  got  it,  all  right  Say,  Ben,  do 
you  really  think  she  will  float — it  seems  to  me  the 
bow  is  farther  down  than  it  was?"  he  queried  me 
with  something  of  a  chuckle. 

"Yes,  I  think  it  will.  The  sea  is  a  little  higher 
than  it  was,  and  that  makes  the  ship  seem  lower, 
but  if  it  gets  worse  there  may  be  some  danger." 

"Do  you  think  we  can  afford  to  take  the  chance?" 

"I  think  we  can  get  away  in  the  lifeboat  if  the 
ship  gets  lower.  I'll  watch  closely,  but  if  we  take 
the  money  we  are  bound  to  take  the  risk." 

"Oh,  if  we  take  the  money  we  will  deliver  the 
goods,  but  hang  the  money  if  the  risk  is  too  big." 

"It's  a  fair  bet.  If  we  back  in  it  will  take  the 
strain  off  the  bulkhead,  but  if  it  does  not  hold,  we'll 
have  time  to  get  away." 

"Watch  this  old  jockey;  he'll  come  rushing  back 
with  part  of  the  money,  saying  that's  all  he  could 
find."  Hiram,  Jr.,  had  hardly  finished  when  the 


56 


captain  came  rushing  down  and  gave  us  in  bills 
the  exact  amount,  cheerfully,  and  apparently  dis- 
posed to  treat  us  as  equals. 

"Now,  boys,  we're  only  about  twenty  miles  off 
Hampton  Roads,  and  if  you  can  keep  a  couple  of 
boilers  hot,  we'll  be  there  in  three  hours,  and  your 
job's  done.  The  tide  is  right  and  we  might  be  able 
to  get  clear  in." 

We  hauled  the  lifeboat  up  so  that  the  sea  would 
not  wash  over  it,  but  left  our  belongings  in  it,  and 
then  hurried  below.  There  was  enough  steam  left 
in  the  boilers  to  swing  the  ship,  stern  shoreward, 
and  matters  looked  well.  I  hurried  to  the  furnace 
room,  where  I  found  Hiram  stripped  to  the  waist, 
working  as  if  the  ship  belonged  to  him.  He  had 
wisely  selected  the  four  boilers  beside  which  was  the 
most  coal,  and  seemed  to  forget  that  his  hands  were 
sore  and  his  body  all  too  green  for  such  an  effort. 
I  aided  him  as  much  as  I  could  and  then  ran  back 
to  the  engines,  repeating  this  operation  for  two 
hours.  I  noticed  that  the  lightship  off  the  harbor 
was  gradually  growing  plainer.  The  upper  part  of 
our  propeller  blades  were  exposed  because  of  the 
ship's  nose  dip.  We  were  losing  a  great  deal  of 


57 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

power  due  to  that  fact.  Soon  we  picked  up  a  pilot 
and  in  another  two  hours  we  slowly  made  the  har- 
bor on  less  than  one  leg,  and  we  were  through. 

"The  greatest  job  ever  pulled  off!  No  salvage 
on  this  ship  or  cargo,"  the  captain  chuckled,  rubbing 
his  hands.  "Now,  let's  go  ashore  and  get  some 
food,"  he  added  as  cheerfully  as  would  a  miser 
fingering  gold.  He  had  not  left  the  wheel  house 
or  given  an  order  since  we  started.  However,  be- 
fore we  got  through  washing  up  Hiram  began  to 
droop  and  was  hardly  able  to  walk  to  a  Turkish 
bath  after  we  got  ashore  at  Norfolk. 

He  did  not  improve  much,  even  with  a  good  rub- 
down  after  the  bath,  and  I  knew  it  was  the  hos- 
pital for  him.  Before  the  doctors  got  through  with 
his  examination  he  was  in  a  wild  delirium  and  they 
shook  their  heads.  It  was  a  bad  case  of  exhaustion, 
and  nothing  but  a  strong  heart  would  save  him. 


58 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  newspapers  spread  on  the  wreck  story  next 
morning  and  I  read  about  it  while  sitting  by  Hiram 
Strong's  bedside  in  the  hospital.  The  captain  got 
the  glory  and  credit,  although  the  man,  a  mere 
boy,  now  tossing  unconscious  on  the  pillow,  was  the 
one  to  whom  all  credit  belonged.  In  his  delirium  he 
muttered  from  time  to  time.  Every  now  and  then 
he  would  say — "Ben,  he  was  going  to  let  us  drown 
— drown  like  rats  in  a  trap !" 

The  nurse  gently  unbandaged  his  hands  to  show 
me  their  condition.  The  palms  were  cooked — 
black  and  "seamy — like  an  overdone  roast.  But  he 
was  now  clean,  and  handsome,  his  dark,  wavy  hair 
mounting  high  against  the  white  pillow,  all  trace  of 
dissipation  having  disappeared  from  his  skin.  That 
was  fair  and  clear,  though  slightly  flushed  with 
fever.  The  smile  hovering  about  his  mouth  ap- 
peared to  be  at  the  point  of  breaking  out  into  a 
hearty  laugh. 

Surely  his  first  attempt  at  a  useful  life  was  not 


59 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

a  success,  for  which  I  held  myself  partly  to  blame. 
If  I  had  said  "no"  to  the  captain's  proposal  we 
would  have  come  away  like  the  rest  of  the  crew. 

Three  days  found  him  much  better,  and  when  I 
came  to  see  him  he  delighted  me  with  his  cheer- 
ful manner. 

"Hello,  Ben !"  he  chanted  with  an  infectious  smile. 
"I  would  like  to  shake,  but  my  hands  are  wrapped 
up  just  like  a  petrified  mummy." 

Naturally  I  looked  pleased  that  matters  were  no 
worse,  and  he  continued  to  talk. 

"Say,  Ben,  it  was  good  of  you  to  stick,  bring 
me  here,  and  then  come  every  day  to  see  me.  I 
woke  up  in  the  night  and  the  nurse — God  bless  her 
— she  is  a  kind  soul — she  told  me  all  about  it." 

"Hiram,  as  we  were  sort  of  partners  in  crime  I 
had  to  stick." 

"But  say,  we  broughf  the  ship  in,  didn't  we? 
Sit  around  nearer  the  foot  of  the  bed  where 
I  can  see  you.  My  tongue  is  about  the  only  part 
of  me  I  can  move.  Every  bone  in  my  body  feels 
as  though  it  was  broken  twice,  and  every  rib  creaks 
when  I  breathe.  Job  never  had  anything  on  me." 


60 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

He  tried  to  laugh,  but  brought  up  short,  ending  with 
a  groan. 

"You'll  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  two  if  you  take 
things  easy." 

"Oh,  I'll  not  stay  here  long,  Doc  or  no  Doc.  I'm 
only  sore  and  that  doesn't  count  for  much.  Ben, 
do  you  know  what  I  would  like  to  have  right  now  ? 
— a  porterhouse  steak,  thick  as  a  flagstone,  smoth- 
ered in  mushrooms,  and  I'm  going  to  have  it  if 
there's  one  in  the  town.  By  the  way,  what  town 
are  we  in,  Ben?" 

"Better  stick  here  till  to-morrow  anyway,  then 
we  will  see  how  you  feel,"  I  said,  ignoring  his  ques- 
tion. 

"All  right,  old  partner,  but  not  a  minute  longer 
— they're  mighty  good  to  me,  but  I  don't  like  the 
carbolic  odor  that  comes  floating  down  the  hall.  It 
makes  me  think  of  a  Long  Island  fertilizing  plant, 
or  a  morgue." 

The  next  morning  he  put  on  his  clothes,  which 
had  been  renovated  and  pressed,  with  many  "Oh's" 
and  "Ah's"  and  "Ouch's,"  but  withal  he  was  good- 
natured  and  smiling.  Then  we  started  after  the 
much  coveted  porterhouse  and  mushrooms.  At  first 


61 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

he  toddled  like  an  aged  man,  holding  on  to  me. 
The  effort  was  painful,  but  in  a  short  time  his  loco- 
motion was  normal  and  likewise  his  good  nature. 

After  a  prodigious  meal  and  a  favorite  cigarette 
he  again  surprised  me  by  putting  a  question  that 
was  hard  to  answer. 

"Where  do  we  go  from  here?"  he  asked,  looking 
inside  his  hands,  which  were  still  in  a  deplorable 
state. 

"What — so  soon  ?"  I  parried. 

"Yes — after  I  came  out  of  my  luny  funk 
at  the  hospital,  I  had  time  to  think  things  over,  duly 
and  truly  and  soberly.  You  know,  I  haven't  had  a 
drink  since  we  left  New  York,  and  I  don't  want 
one.  This  strenuous  life  rather  appeals  to  me  now 
that  I  have  found  I  have  a  good  body — as  good  as 
any  one's — and  it's  got  to  work  without  getting 
sore  or  fluffing  up  with  blisters.  Besides,  the  Gov- 
ernor gave  me  the  toe  of  his  shoe  and  said  I  wasn't 
worth  a  'cuss,'  and  I  am  going  to  show  him." 
There  was  great  determination  in  the  manner  in 
which  he  blew  out  the  smoke  of  his  cigarette. 

"I  think  we  will  find  an  employment  office  here," 
I  suggested  mildly. 


62 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Take  me  to  it.  I'm  ready  now,"  he  said  quickly, 
though  hardly  able  to  sit  up  in  bed,  but  when  we 
came  to  the  employment  office  he  hung  back,  in- 
sisting that  I  should  be  the  spokesman.  The  face 
of  the  man  in  charge  was  heavy  and  florid.  He 
might  easily  have  passed  for  a  gambler,  confidence 
man,  or  race-horse  tout.  He  sized  us  up  critically 
before  he  replied : 

"The  only  man  I  need  is  quartermaster — ship 
bound  for  New  Orleans  to  take  on  cotton.  You  can 
sign  again  there  for  Liverpool  if  you  want  to." 

Strong  heard  what  was  said  and  I  moved  toward 
him  inquiringly. 

"I  don't  care  what  it  is,  so  long  as  you  think  it's 
all  right.  It  can't  be  any  worse  than  firing." 

I  explained  to  him  in  an  undertone  that  the  quar- 
termaster steered  the  vessel,  the  hardest  part  of  the 
job  being  to  remain  on  one's  feet  four  to  six  hours 
at  a  time,  to  which  he  replied  quickly : 

"That  sounds  good  if  I  can  do  it." 

"I  can  teach  you  in  a  few  hours." 

"All  right,  let's  sign,"  he  said,  coming  over. 

We  went  to  a  second-hand  store,  found  a 
book  on  practical  seamanship,  and  I  spent  the  af- 


63 


ternoon  familiarizing  him  with  his  duties,  after 
which  we  went  aboard.  He  seemed  keen  to  know 
everything  about  a  ship. 

The  captain,  a  jolly  good  fellow,  asked  us  a  few 
questions,  seemed  pleased,  winked  knowingly,  and 
gave  us  a  room  to  ourselves  on  deck  just  back  of 
the  officers'  quarters,  and  told  us  to  arrange  the 
watches  to  suit  ourselves.  It  was  to  be  six  hours 
on,  six  off,  and  we  would  sail  at  eight  that  night. 

The  next  five  days  went  by  speedily.  Our  course 
was  down  the  coast  through  the  Straits  of  Florida 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  bar;  thence  to  the 
little  white  lighthouse  at  the  entrance  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, over  a  hundred  miles  from  New  Orleans. 

I  wondered  at  Hiram  constantly.  He  was  so 
alert  and  apt  that  he  never  came  in  for  a  reprimand, 
never  again  referred  to  his  father  or  his  future 
plans,  or  craved  liquor — an  ample  supply  of  his 
favorite  cigarettes  seemed  to  satisfy  him.  He  had 
no  time  for  stories,  nor  did  he  speak  of  women, 
or  of  any  escapades  in  which  he  may  have  been 
involved.  He  was  actually  glad  to  be  making  his 
way  by  toil.  With  hands  all  healed  he  became  quite 
normal,  and  was  altogether  a  fine  minded  man. 


64 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

While  such  a  rapid  change  might  not  be  permanent, 
he  appeared  not  only  to  have  turned  over  a  new 
leaf,  but  to  have  lost  all  taste  for  the  habits  and 
customs  of  his  previous  life. 

Things  went  well  with  us  and  we  sped  along  at  a 
lively  clip.  I  was  at  the  wheel  on  the  last  watch 
that  would  take  us  into  dock  at  New  Orleans  about 
midnight. 

"Pop  has  been  talking  some" — Strong,  from  the 
beginning,  had  referred  to  the  captain  as  Pop — 
"and  wants  us  to  sign  up  for  a  round  trip  to  Liver- 
pool. He  says  it's  sixty  dollars  and  fifty  per  cent 
extra  for  going  the  submarine  zone." 

"Then  I  guess  we  must  have  done  our  work  all 
right,"  I  replied,  noncommittal.  "What  do  you " 

"Ben,"  he  interrupted,  "why  are  you  married  to 
the  sea?" 

"I  never  considered  that  I  was — I  have  never 
been  blessed  or  cursed  by  being  married  to  any  one 
or  anything — one  has  to  make  a  living  somehow." 
It  was  perfectly  dark  in  the  wheel-house  with  the 
exception  of  the  tiny  hooded  light  over  the  com- 
pass, and  I  couldn't  see  Hiram's  face. 

"A  fireman  can  become  an  engineer  and  stops 


65 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

there  ?"  he  surprised  me  by  putting-  forth  a  question 
in  just  that  way.  I  paused  before  replying. 

"Yes— usually." 

"A  seaman  can  become  captain,  and  then  his 
road  gets  very  narrow  and  steep  toward  further 
advancement?"  he  persisted. 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  wondering  what  was  on  his 
mind. 

"It  strikes  me  a  man  of  your  ability  is  wast- 
ing his  time  at  sea — I  don't  see  any  future — what 
about  wireless  men?" 

"They  get  ninety  dollars  a  month,"  I  replied, 
amused  and  still  wondering. 

"What  about  telegraphing?"  he  then  asked. 

"Some  of  our  best  men  started  as  operators,  Edi- 
son, for  instance.  I  am  inclined  to  think  it's  the 
methodical  drill  they  get  that  helps." 

"Ben,  are  you  going  to  sign  up  for  the  other 
side?"  he  asked,  as  though  expecting  a  negative 
answer. 

"Well,  I  think  the  subs  are  getting  quite  plenti- 
ful— more  than  they  tell  us  about.  Don't  you?" 
At  last  I  knew  what  he  had  been  driving  at. 

"That  settles  it,"  said  he.  "I  won't,  either.  We've 


66 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

got  a  stake  now  and  can  afford  to  look  around  a 
little." 

"Our  stake  won't  last  long  unless  we  get  busy," 
I  warned. 

"Oh,  I'm  willing  to  work,  and  I  don't  expect  to 
go  up  on  an  escalator  or  an  express  elevator — but 
I  do  want  to  know  that  the  stairs  lead  somewhere 
worthwhile.  Do  you  get  me,  Ben?"  he  laughed. 
"I'll  tell  Pop  we're  not  anxious  to  play  hide-and- 
seek  with  the  subs." 

I  did  not  reply,  but  wondered  what  effect  "a 
stake"  would  have  on  an  idle  man  like  him  in  New 
Orleans. 


67 


CHAPTER  VII 

To  Strong's  mind  satisfactory  quarters  meant 
rooms  of  good  size,  and  well  lighted.  We  finally 
found  connecting  space  in  a  private  house.  He 
seemed  anxious  to  see  New  Orleans,  and  started 
out  while  I  looked  up  some  old  acquaintances,  but 
I  found  him  awaiting  me  at  our  lodgings  in  the 
early  evening. 

"Ben,  I  have  done  it.  I've  paid  out  the  money, 
and  I'm  going  to  see  it  through,"  was  his  greet- 
ing. 

"Paid  for  what  ?"  I  asked,  unable  to  avoid  smiling 
at  his  cheerful  optimism. 

"Fifty  dollars  to  learn  telegraphy.  They  say 
I  can  do  it  in  sixty  days,  and  when  I  have  com- 
pleted my  course  I  will  get  a  job.  New  Orleans 
looks  to  me  like  a  regular  place.  I  like  it." 

For  a  moment  I  thought  he  might  have  been 
indulging  in  some  of  the  mixtures  for  which  the 
Southern  Metropolis  is  noted,  but  it  was  only  the 
wine  of  youthful  credulity  that  did  the  talking. 


68 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"That's  good,"  I  assented  quickly.  "When  do 
you  commence?" 

"Oh,  I  have  already  started  in.  I  took  my  first 
lesson  this  afternoon.  How  did  you  make  out? 
Can  you  get  a  job  here?"  There  could  be  no  doubt 
of  his  keen  desire  to  have  me  stay  near  him. 

"Yes — two  or  three  things  turned  up  to-day." 

"And  any  one  of  them  better  than  going  to  sea, 
I'll  bet?" 

"Yes,  as  far  as  the  money  goes,"  I  replied,  re- 
servedly. 

"Bully,  old  boy!"  he  shouted,  seizing  my  hand 
in  a  vise-like  grip.  From  then  on  the  days  were 
full  of  interest  for  both  of  us.  Hiram's  intention 
to  master  telegraphy  became  almost  an  obsession 
with  him.  From  the  moment  he  started  in  he 
seemed  to  forget  everything  else,  and  he  worked  as 
though  his  welfare  in  this  world  and  the  world  to 
come  depended  upon  his  learning  telegraphy  in  the 
shortest  possible  time.  He  ate,  drank,  inhaled,  and 
absorbed  the  Morse  system  during  every  waking 
moment,  and  in  less  than  three  weeks  he  was  sub- 
stituting for  a  sick  operator  on  the  Yazoo  &  Missis- 
sippi Railroad. 


69 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Strong's  was  undoubtedly  an  intensive  nature; 
the  height  and  especially  the  width  of  his  forehead 
clearly  indicated  power  of  concentration,  which, 
apparently,  he  had  done  nothing  to  build  up.  It  was 
the  same  way  when  he  met  the  girl,  Anna  Bell  Mor- 
gan, and  when  an  intensive  man  meets  a  compre- 
hensive girl  there  is  apt  to  be  trouble,  or  a  wedding, 
or  something  equally  interesting.  If  he  had  spent 
money  with  the  same  tenacity  of  purpose  that  he  set 
about  learning  telegraphy  I  do  not  wonder  that 
Hiram  Strong,  Sr.,  became  tired  to  the  bone  of  his 
folly  and  would  have  no  more  of  it. 

After  working  a  week  as  a  substitute  he  blew 
into  quarters  one  evening  like  a  cyclone  and  gave 
me  a  thump  on  the  back  that  made  me  grunt. 

"I've  got  it! — I've  got  it! — I've  got  it!"  he  shout- 
ed, his  face  aglow  and  his  eyes  snapping. 

This  time  I  was  sure  he  had  broken  over  into 
old  habits,  especially  when  I  well  knew  the  lure  of 
that  celebrated  New  Orleans  gin  fizz  to  which  all 
newcomers  seemed  to  succumb.  But  again  I  was 
wrong.  Strong  had  simply  boiled  over  with  ex- 
uberant spirits  and  he  certainly  had  a  jag  on  board. 
His  ardor  not  in  the  least  dampened  by  my  hesi- 


70 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

tation,  he  grabbed  my  hand  and  shook  it  vigorous- 
ly, then  capered  about  in  front  of  me  as  a  boy  in  his 
teens  might  do. 

"Congratulate  me,  Old  Man,  I've  got  it!"  he 
roared.  "The  Yazoo  Railroad  has  offered  me  a 
station.  Quarrytown,  Ben — Quarrytown,  Louisi- 
ana, is  my  address  after  to-morrow !" 

Of  course,  that  was  pleasant  news  to  me  and 
naturally  I  became  as  excited  as  he,  so  much  so 
that  I  became  fearful  we  would  jeopardize  our  joint 
reputations  for  sobriety. 

"There's  only  one  thing,  and  you've  got  to  fix 
that — eh?  I  don't  know  just  how:  I  must  have 
a  surety  bond  for  a  thousand  dollars  and  also 
three  first-class  references — can  we  do  it,  Ben  ?  Can 
you  do  it?"  he  repeated. 

I  hesitated  a  moment,  wondering  how  I  was  go- 
ing to  get  three  first-class  references  for  a  man  who 
had  spent  a  big  part  of  his  twenty-four  years  in 
riotous  living,  even  to  the  point  of  being  disowned. 
But  there  was  no  such  thing  as  resisting  him  now. 

"Oh,  I  don't  have  to  wait  for  it ;  that  can  be  done 
any  time.  But  we  can  fix  it  some  way,  can't  we, 
Ben? — I've  got  to,"  he  added  with  emphasis. 


71 


"Yes,  if  we  have  a  little  time  I  think  it  can  be 
arranged,"  said  I,  soberly,  wondering  somewhat 
over  the  details  of  the  job.  But  he  hardly  waited 
for  my  assurance  before  he  seized  me  by  the  hand 
and  began  dragging  me  about  the  room. 

"Come  on,  let's  get  out — out  in  the  air — 
let's  go  out  and  have  a  good  time,"  he  commanded 
as  he  got  my  hat  and  jammed  it  down  over  my  head. 
"It's  up  the  river,  only  about  a  hundred  miles.  You 
can  come  up  Sunday.  It's  big  enough  to  have  a  day 
and  night  man,  and  I  get  the  day  job!"  he  added, 
loud  enough  for  the  whole  house  to  hear  him  as  we 
passed  downstairs  to  the  street. 

The  following  Sunday  I  went  to  see  him.  His 
station  was  delightfully  located.  There  was  enough 
level  space  between  the  river  and  its  very  high 
bluffs  for  two  long  sidetracks  convenient  for  the 
meeting  of  freight  trains,  which  made  a  night  and 
day  operator  necessary. 

Hiram  was  expecting  me  and  waved  his  arms 
wildly  as  I  stepped  off  the  train,  but  as  he  was  busy 
rushing  mail,  express,  and  trunks  into  the  baggage 
car,  there  was  no  chance  for  a  handshake  for  the 
time  being. 


72 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

The  depot  looked  like  the  cabin  in  which  De  Soto 
died  from  malaria  and  disappointment  in  1539,  al- 
though somewhat  modernized  and  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  railroading. 

Quarrytown  was  a  rambling  village  around  D. 
R.  Morgan's  General  Store,  and  he  was  Anna  Bell's 
father.  Near  the  ancient  depot  was  a  considerable 
stone  quarry,  high  clay  bluffs,  and  the  Mississippi 
River.  Pickaninnies,  starved  dogs,  mules,  razor- 
back  hogs  and  malaria  seemed  to  thrive  along  with 
the  willow  and  pepper  trees.  The  question  of  mo- 
ment was  how  long  would  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  late 
of  Broadway,  Sherry's,  and  Delmonico's,  be  satis- 
fied here?  In  the  place  of  porterhouse  steaks  there 
would  be  sow-belly  and  corn  bread,  and  a  very  dry 
section  to  live  in. 

As  soon  as  the  train  was  out  of  the  way  Hiram 
came  rushing  over  to  me. 

"Ben,  old  man,  you  look  good  to  me!"  he  ex- 
claimed. "I'm  getting  away  with  it;  haven't 
made  a  bull  yet.  Excuse  me  a  little  bit  until  I  take 
this  mail  over,  then  I'm  through."  Thus  he  greeted 
me,  enthusiastic  and  confident,  then  rushed  away 


73 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

with  the  small  mail  bag  to  Morgan's  store  and  the 
post  office. 

While  awaiting  his  return  I  examined  a  two- 
wheeled  baggage  truck  he  had  left  standing  after 
being  loaded  from  the  train.  This  contained  an 
old  trunk  fastened  with  a  clothes  line,  a  bunch  of 
bananas,  some  castings  for  a  cotton  gin,  three  boxes 
of  chill-and-fever  remedy,  and  five  cases  of  dyna- 
mite. 

As  Strong  hurried  across  the  street  his  eyes  shone 
with  anticipation  from  under  the  visor  of  a  cheap 
cap  that  had  replaced  the  jaunty  derby. 

"Say,  how  do  you  like  my  new  station  ?  All  the 
white  people  here  are  mighty  nice,"  said  he,  push- 
ing the  truck  toward  the  depot. 

I  nodded  approval  and  helped  him  to  push  the  load 
up  a  steep  incline  into  the  freight  house  adjoining 
the  ticket  office. 

"Do  you  get  much  of  that  stuff?"  I  asked,  point- 
ing to  the  dynamite. 

"Yes — the  quarry  uses  quite  a  bit,  but  it  usually 
comes  by  freight  and  I  don't  have  to  handle  it,"  he 
said,  locking  the  door  and  leading  the  way  to  the 
ticket  and  telegraph  office,  located  in  a  small  bay- 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

windowed  room  facing  the  track.  We  walked 
through  a  dingy  waiting-room,  in  the  center  of 
which  stood  a  wooden  box,  half  rilled  with  sand, 
which  stood  permanent  duty  as  a  cuspidor. 

"You  see,  there  is  no  hotel  here,  and  Mr. 
Morgan  has  kindly  taken  me  to  board  with  him. 
The  night  man  stays  there  also.  Sunday  is  such 
a  busy  day,  especially  for  freights,  that  I  can't  leave 
for  my  dinner,  so  they  send  it  over  to  me.  They'll 
send  enough  for  two  to-day.  You  won't  mind,  will 
you?" 

Before  I  could  reply  the  dispatcher  called  him 
and  he  began  taking  a  train  order  while  I  sat  down 
upon  the  one  remaining  sixty-nine-cent  chair. 

Opposite  the  bay-window  was  the  regulation 
standing-counter,  a  ticket-cabinet,  and  little  window 
opening  out  to  the  waiting-room,  aged  and  dingy, 
especially  the  floor. 

"That  chair  will  go  down  with  you  some  time," 
I  suggested,  when  he  turned  about  after  copying 
the  order, — and  setting  a  red  signal  for  the  train. 

"It  looks  as  though  it  had  served  its  full  time," 
he  replied,  laughing,  as  he  arose  in  answer  to  a  tap 
on  the  waiting-room  door.  A  darky  boy  with  a 


75 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

market  basket  and  a  white  pitcher  stood  grinning 
outside  with  our  dinner. 

"Ben,  this  dinner  is  not  like  some  we've  had,  but 
it's  better  than  the  soup  and  mutton  stew  we  got  on 
the  boat.  Do  you  know,  I  would  rather  be  dead 
and  in  torment  than  fire  again  on  that  boat,  but  I 
would  have  stayed,  though,  if  you  had,"  said  he, 
opening  the  basket  and  setting  out  a  liberal  portion 
of  fried  chicken  and  hot  biscuit  on  the  small  instru- 
ment table. 

"We  can  tell  only  by  comparison  when  we  are 
well  off,"  I  replied. 

"That's  beginning  to  dawn  on  me,  also,"  said  he, 
dryly. 

We  had  hardly  begun  eating  when  a  big  panting 
Mogul  stopped  with  her  nose  opposite  the  window 
and  the  conductor  came  trotting  up  and  signed  for 
the  orders.  He  gave  one  copy  to  the  engineer  and 
scuttled  away. 

"I  was  telling  you  about  the  white  people  here," 
he  began,  as  we  resumed  eating.    "Old  Mr.  Morgan, 
who  runs  the  store  and  post  office,  is  about  the  big- 
gest man  here,  and  his  daughter,  Anna  Bell!   Say, 
»••••••-  i 

76 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

boy,  she  is  as  pretty  as  any  woman  I  ever  saw." 
Then,  for  some  reason,  he  checked  himself  on  the 
"Anna  Bell"  subject  and  became  absorbed  in  the 
well-cooked  dainties  spread  before  us. 


77 


CHAPTER  VIII 

IT  was  not  what  Hiram  Strong  said  about  Anna 
Bell  Morgan,  but  the  tone  in  which  he  said  it,  that 
raised  the  big  interrogation  point  in  my  mind.  Mat- 
ters as  they  stood  suggested  the  possibility  that  the 
youngster  had  plans  in  mind  to  "face  the  Gov- 
ernor" and  that  Quarrytown  was  a  place  quite  good 
enough  to  settle  down  in  if  Anna  Bell  said  the  right 
word. 

A  chicken  leg  in  one  hand  and  a  hot  biscuit  piled 
with  jam  in  the  other,  he  stood  facing  me,  with  an 
excited  glitter  in  his  eyes.  Continuing,  he  said  in  a 
tense  undertone: 

"The  night  man  is  half  gone  on  her,  but  he  is  a 
German — at  least  has  a  German  name — and  this 
place  is  intensely  patriotic.  As  I  told  you,  he  boards 
there  and  when  he  is  not  sleeping  he  hangs " 

At  this  moment  a  north-bound  freight  rushed  by, 
and  with  the  noise  of  the  locomotive  and  banging 
of  the  trucks  over  a  poor  railroad  joint  opposite  the 
wide-open  window,  together  with  the  slapping  of 


78 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

brake  beams,  made  further  conversation  impossi- 
ble. He  turned,  watching  it  as  though  expecting 
something,  and  as  the  way  car  passed  something 
did  happen.  I  heard  a  metallic  thud  on  the  floor, 
at  which  Hiram  dropped  his  food  and  began  to 
hunt  for  the  thing  that  caused  the  noise.  Finally, 
by  getting  down  on  all  fours,  he  brought  out  from 
between  the  old  iron  safe  and  the  letter  press  a  rail 
spike  to  which  was  fastened  by  a  rubber  band  a 
piece  of  white  paper  which  he  carefully  unfolded. 
It  was  a  train  order  reporting  train  No.  192  passing 
at  that  time  with  two  cars  picked  up  at  a  siding  be- 
low where  there  was  no  telegraph  office.  Strong 
sprang  to  his  instrument  and  dispatched  the  mes- 
sage forthwith.  I  wondered  if  he  realized  the 
danger  to  himself  from  messages  thrown  in  upon 
him  that  way.  A  railroad  spike  weighs  about  a 
pound,  and  while  he  was  telegraphing  I  speculated 
on  what  would  happen  if  one  struck  him,  or  if  by 
any  chance  it  struck  one  of  the  fifty-pound  cases 
of  dynamite  that  had  come  by  express. 

"The  conductor  drops  his  reports  that  way  to 
save  time,"  he  said,  calmly  resuming  his  seat. 

Hiram's  days  were  full  of  things  to  do,  therefore 


79 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

we  never  had  ten  minutes'  connected  conversation. 
I  would  have  been  glad  to  learn  the  situation  inside 
the  fellow's  active  mind.  I  don't  think  he  knew. 
He  was  doing  honest,  useful  work,  and  received  its 
immediate  reward  in  full  satisfaction — his  first  real 
satisfaction — that  intoxicating  lure  that  fans  a 
spark  of  ambition  into  a  flame. 

Later  in  the  day,  at  a  hint  from  Hiram,  the  con- 
ductor of  a  refrigerator  train  invited  me  to  ride  to 
New  Orleans  with  him. 

"He  makes  better  time  than  the  passenger,"  said 
Hiram,  who  in  less  than  a  week  knew  all  the  road 
employees  by  their  first  names.  Somehow  he  took 
it  for  granted  that  I  had  satisfactory  employment 
and  never  asked  me  what  it  was.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  I  was  employed  in  connection  with  the  Amer- 
ican Defense  League,  a  patriotic  organization, 
which  was  destined  to  throw  me  in  contact  with 
Hiram  Strong  very  often  and  sometimes  unexpect- 
edly. Ours  was  not  the  kind  of  friendship  to  end 
through  mere  separation. 

We  exchanged  letters  frequently.  He  asked  me 
to  send  him  a  typewriter,  which,  though  not  re- 


80 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

quired  in  the  service,  was  "the  only  way  to  do 
things  right,"  he  wrote  me.  I  noted  that  his  letters 
avoided  any  reference  to  the  night  man  or  Anna 
Bell  Morgan.  I  wondered  if  it  was  an  oversight 
or  intentional  evasion. 

The  Yazoo  Railroad  had  reported,  as  required  by 
law,  that  they  had  shipped  ten  cases  of  dynamite, 
but  only  nine  were  delivered.  As  soon  as  I  had 
time  I  was  asked  to  look  it  up,  as  fifty  pounds  of 
dynamite  in  bad  hands  would  make  a  great  deal  of 
excitement  in  or  about  the  shipping  of  New  Orleans. 

I  was  astonished  to  find,  upon  examination  of  the 
papers,  that  the  explosive  had  been  shipped  to  the 
quarries  at  Quarrytown,  together  with  an  affidavit 
by  the  train  conductor  that  he  had  delivered  ten 
cases  on  the  platform  there.  This  put  it  squarely 
up  to  the  agent,  Hiram  Strong,  Jr. 

On  arriving  at  Quarrytown  I  found  Hiram  as 
busy  as  ever,  but  overjoyed  to  see  me.  He  was 
considerably  surprised  when  I  inquired  about  the 
lost  dynamite,  but  he  was  not  worried  and  evidently 
had  not  been.  He  was  looking  splendid ;  hard  work 
and  regular  hours  had  accomplished  wonders,  and 


81 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

he  seemed  completely  unmindful  of  discomforts. 
As  to  the  explosive,  he  took  me  out  on  the  platform 
to  where  it  had  been  unloaded. 

"It  came  here,"  said  he,  "in  the  evening,  along 
with  half  a  car  of  mixed  merchandise  about  the 
time  I  was  going  off  duty.  I  had  to  work  overtime 
to  put  it  all  in  the  freight  house.  The  next  morn- 
ing the  quarry  man  came  for  it  and  signed  for  the 
nine  cases  which  I  had  delivered  to  him.  That's  all 
I  could  find  and  I  believe  that  is  all  that  was  un- 
loaded, although  the  way  bill  called  for  ten,"  he 
admitted. 

"The  stuff  was  locked  up,  wasn't  it  ?"  I  enquired. 

"Oh,  yes,  I  locked  the  warehouse  myself,  and 
carry  the  only  keys,"  he  replied,  as  we  returned  to 
his  office. 

The  place  looked  to  me  darker  and  more  dingy 
than  before,  but  the  day  was  gloomy.  The  rickety 
kitchen  chair  had  finally  collapsed  and  was  substi- 
tuted by  a  box  covered  with  a  burlap  bag,  with  some 
padding  on  the  end  for  a  cushion. 

"How  about  this  door?"  I  asked,  pointing  to  the 
one  leading  into  the  freight  house. 

"That  has  no  lock,  but  I  never  leave  here  until 


82 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

the  night  man  comes  on.  It  couldn't  get  away 
through  here." 

"How  about  this  night  man;  who  is  he?" 

"He's  been  here  for  two  years.  The  company 
must  know  he  is  all  right.  His  name  is  Gus — Gus 
Schlegel.  I  think  he  is  too  stupid  to  be  crooked; 
he  knows  enough  to  report  trains  at  night." 

At  that  moment  a  dark  boy  came  to  the  ticket 
window  and  reported  three  cars  of  granite  on  the 
quarry  siding,  and  Hiram  sat  down  on  the  burlapped 
box  in  front  of  his  instruments  and  notified  the 
dispatcher  that  three  cars  were  ready.  He  then 
took  up  a  pad  of  blank  bills  of  lading  and  began  to 
fill  them  out  rapidly,  though  in  the  attitude  of  listen- 
ing. 

"One  of  your  chairs  went  on  strike?"  I  observed, 
eyeing  the  artistic  arrangement  of  the  burlap. 

"Yes;  Gus's  avoirdupois  finally  carried  it  down. 
He  found  an  old  molasses  box  that  was  so  sticky 
he  had  to  cover  it  with  burlap.  I  believe  I  like  it 
better  than  the  chair;  it  requires  less  room,"  he 
added,  looking  up,  while  changing  his  carbon  paper. 

The  thought  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  the 
missing  case  of  dynamite,  but  I  decided  that  was 


83 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

quite  impossible.  If  Gus  had  really  driven  nails 
into  a  case  filled  with  dynamite,  he  would  be  at 
that  moment  in  Kingdom  Come  and  an  architect 
busy  with  plans  for  a  new  station. 

"How  is  his  love  affair  progressing  with  Anna 
Bell  Morgan?"  I  asked,  without  great  show  of 
interest. 

"Oh,  I  know  she  hates  his  name,  and  I  think — I 
think  she  hates  him,  too;  but  these  Southern  girls 
are  so  polite  and  considerate  of  one's  feelings,  I 
can't  tell  for  sure;  besides,  she  is  pretty  deep,"  said 
he,  as  one  having  given  the  matter  much  consider- 
ation. 

Hiram  scratched  a  match  on  the  burlap  covering 
and  lit  a  cigarette. 

"He  both  sleeps  and  eats  there,  doesn't  he?"  I 
was  beginning  to  consider  Gus  Schlegel  in  con- 
nection with  the  disappearance  of  the  case  of  ex- 
plosive. 

"Yes,  he  eats  and  rooms  there,  but  lately  he 
doesn't  sleep  much.  Why,  he  came  in  here  the  other 
afternoon  and  sat  where  you  are  and  cried  like  a 
baby.  He  said  he  didn't  think  she  cared  anything 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

for  him,  and  that  he  loved  her  so  much  he  couldn't 
live  without  her — even  hinted  at  suicide." 

Here  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  looked  up  and  laughed 
— a  cynical  laugh — as  he  glanced  at  me.  His  eyes 
showed  that  he  was  in  earnest,  and  evidenced  a 
combination  of  amusement  and  anger.  He  brushed 
the  ashes  from  his  cigarette  on  the  box  and  con- 
tinued :  "I  told  him  the  river  water  was  nice  and 
warm  and  muddy,  and  that  the  alligators  would 
finish  the  job  cheaper  than  an  undertaker." 

"And  do  you  know,"  he  continued  with  a  smile 
creeping  about  his  mouth,  "it  went  completely  over 
his  head,  didn't  even  penetrate  the  tallow.  I  don't 
believe  a  German  has  any  sense  of  humor — they 
only  laugh  at  something  ribald  or  salacious — they 
make  a  terrible  mess  of  simulating  virtue.  Then 
he  asked  me  to  advise  him." 

"Did  you?" 

"Yes — I  told  him  he  had  been  there  nearly  two 
years  and  that  was  long  enough  for  her  to  learn  to 
appreciate  him — that  the  only  way  was  for  him  to 
ask  her  and  thus  settle  the  question  for  good  and 
all." 

"Did  he  take  your  advice?"  I  asked. 


85 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"He  wanted  to  know  if  he  shouldn't  speak  to  her 
father  first,  but  I  told  him  the  preliminary  skirmish 
should  be  with  her.  He  decided  on  the  spot  to  do 
that  and  if  she  refused  him  he  was  going  to  leave." 

"I  suppose  he  got  his  answer?" 

"He  went  over  immediately — what  happened 
there  I  never  learned,  exactly,  but  I  do  know  he 
came  back  in  about  an  hour  squealing  like  a  razor- 
back  pig  kicked  in  the  ribs  by  a  mule,  and  wired 
in  his  resignation.  He  was  an  awfully  poor  loser," 
Hiram  added,  as  he  sealed  the  big  yellow  envelope 
for  the  auditor.  "Why,  the  poor  dub  was  so  sorry 
for  himself,  he  snuffled  and  groaned,  and  his  breath 
back-fired  like  a  four-cylinder  motor  hitting  only 
on  two." 

"Who  are  his  associates  here,  and  does  he  have 
any  one  come  to  see  him?"  I  asked,  detecting  some- 
thing like  resentment  in  his  tone. 

"No  one  has  been  here  to  see  him  since  I  came. 
No ;  he  is  just  a  big  boob,  with  this  love-stuff  work- 
ing overtime." 

"Has  anything  whatever — however  insignificant 
— happened  that  would  connect  him  with  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  dynamite?" 


86 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"No,  not  the  least  thing — the  claim  agent  and  I 
went  over  that  several  times.  There  is  a  certain 
low  cunning  in  him,  a  disposition  to  be  tricky  in 
small  things,  but  there's  nothing  to  him — just 
grease.  Of  course,  he  has  the  wires  here  all  night, 
and  I  may  underestimate  him.  By  the  use  of  a  code 
he  might  pull  off  something." 

"Did  the  company  accept  his  resignation?" 

"Yes;  they  had  to." 

"And  you  don't  attach  any  importance  to  his 
going  now,  further  than  this  love  affair?" 

Before  he  could  reply  the  train  he  flagged  for 
orders  pulled  past  the  station.  He  obligingly  took 
the  tissue  order  pad  out  on  the  platform  for  the 
conductor  to  sign.  While  he  was  gone  I  raised  the 
burlap  skirt  covering  from  the  box.  It  stuck  and 
I  had  to  pull  it  loose  to  get  it  up.  It  was  undoubt- 
edly a  molasses  case,  a  can  that  had  fermented  or 
been  punctured  and  had  run  out  at  the  corners,  but 
to  be  sure  I  took  my  pencil  point,  gouged  some  of 
the  stuff  off  the  side,  sniffed  and  then  tasted  it.  It 
was  mixed  with  grit  and  dirt,  but  it  tasted  sweet 
and  I  was  satisfied. 

"Ben,  take  a  walk  over  to  the  quarry  switch  with 


87 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

me.  I've  got  to  get  the  numbers  of  three  cars  stand- 
ing- there.  I  will  introduce  you  to  the  head  quarry 
man  and  he  will  tell  you  all  he  knows  about  it — 
and  that's  nothing  at  all.  Still  you  might  get  a 
pointer  there,"  he  added. 

To  this  I  assented  without  comment,  but  won- 
dered why  he  was  so  careful  to  put  everything  in  the 
safe  and  lock  it;  also  the  office  door,  when  the  big 
center  sash  of  the  bay-window  facing  the  main  track 
was  entirely  raised. 

"You  have  light-fingered  gentry  here?"  I 
queried. 

"Oh,  if  anything  were  left  lying  around  loose 
it  might  disappear.  I  don't  take  any  chances  be- 
cause I  leave  that  window  open  so  that  the  con- 
ductors can  throw  their  reports  inside.  There's 
one  coming  now,"  he  said,  looking  up  the  line  as  we 
picked  our  way  over  the  main  track  and  two 
switches,  toward  the  quarry  under  the  bluff,  about 
two  hundred  yards  distant. 

"Hiram,  have  you  any  theory  at  all  about  the  dis- 
appearance of  this  case  of  dynamite?"  I  insisted. 

"I  don't  believe  it  ever  came  here — I  know 
the  waybill  called  for  ten  cases,  and  the  conductor 


88 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

of  the  local  checks  up  everything  as  it  comes  out 
of  the  car  on  the  platform,  and  they're  careful  and 
good  fellows,  but  that  day  he  had  a  lot  of  freight ;  he 
must  have  checked  in  another  case  to  make  up  his 
ten — you  know  there's  a  lot  of  goods  packed  in 
cases  about  that  size.  I'm  not  worried;  that  case 
of  dynamite  never  came  here,  and  will  show  up 
somewhere  else,"  he  said  definitely,  and  with  com- 
plete candor,  as  we  approached  the  three  flat  cars 
loaded  with  granite  on  the  short  quarry  switch. 

While  he  was  taking  the  numbers  I  stopped  and 
looked  back  at  the  disreputable-looking  station 
house  and  D.  R.  Morgan's  store  and  residence  be- 
yond, the  pepper  trees  along  the  highway,  and  the 
dwindling  sized  houses  behind  them.  Two  or  three 
mule  teams  with  cotton  bales  could  be  seen  creep- 
ing toward  the  station. 

"Do  you  want  to  come  over  to  the  office  and  see 
the  boss  here?  I  must  go  in  and  give  him  a  copy 
of  these  bills,"  he  explained,  looking  over  at  a 
board  shanty  they  called  an  office  some  distance 
away. 

"No— I  think  not.    Where  do  they  store  their  ex- 


89 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

plosives,  Hiram?"  I  asked,  not  noticing  the  usual 
isolated  brick  or  stone  receptacle. 

"They  tunneled  into  the  granite  bluff  about  four 
hundred  feet  down  the  track.  This  road  leads  to 
it,"  he  replied,  pointing  to  a  cart-track  which  led  in 
that  direction. 

"You  go  and  deliver  your  bills — I  will  stay  and 
make  a  little  diagram  or  map  of  the  place."  He 
glanced  up  the  track  at  a  heavily  loaded  locomo- 
tive laboring  down  toward  the  station,  but  when 
the  engineer  gave  no  signs  of  stopping  he  went 
over  to  the  quarry  office,  while  I  took  out  my  pen- 
cil and  pad  to  make  my  map  and  notes. 

As  I  drew  with  my  pencil  the  full  length  of  the 
pad  to  represent  the  railroad  running  midway  be- 
tween the  river  and  the  bluff,  a  most  extraordinary 
thing  occurred.  I  could  not  believe  my  senses.  The 
point  of  my  pencil  sputtered  like  a  parlor  match,  but 
before  it  reached  the  end  of  the  pad  it  exploded  like 
a  firecracker  and  blackened  the  paper.  In  an  instant 
I  recalled  having  used  my  pencil  to  gouge  some 
of  the  sticky  stuff  off  the  box  Hiram,  Jr.,  was 
using  as  a  seat.  I  then  knew  positively  it  was  the 
lost  case  of  dynamite. 


90 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN  an  instant  my  senses  were  flogged  into  a  stu- 
pendous state  of  excitement,  and  my  eyes  must 
have  bulged  when  I  looked  again  at  the  blackened 
pad  and  then  at  the  pencil  point  that  had  been 
blown  off  as  though  it  had  itself  exploded.  Then 
I  thought  of  that  crazy,  love-sick  Gus  who  had  been 
driving  nails  into  the  case,  and  I  sickened.  Surely 
there  is  a  Divine  Providence  that  protects  fools  at 
least.  Hiram  had  scratched  matches  against  that 
case! 

My  knees  shook  and  my  hand  trembled,  and  I  do 
not  think  I  could  have  uttered  a  sound.  I  looked 
for  Strong.  He  was  just  coming  out  of  the  quarry 
office.  I  took  one  long  step  to  rush  back  to  the  sta- 
tion, but  saw  the  locomotive  approaching,  laboring 
hard  with  its  immense  load  and  throwing  clouds  of 
black  smoke  from  its  stack  that  slowly  expanded 
into  an  immense  dirigible  in  the  still,  sluggish  at- 
mosphere. 

Should  the  conductor  fling  his  report  in  at  the 


91 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

window  fastened  to  a  spike  or  a  piece  of  granite 
and  hit  that  case  of  dynamite — what  would  hap- 
pen? This  had  been  done  many  times,  and  noth- 
ing occurred,  but  the  law  of  average  must  prevail 
in  due  time.  A  sickening  sensation  took  possession 
of  me,  and  I  became  as  rigid  as  stone.  I  felt  as 
though  ten  pounds  of  lead  was  in  the  pit  of  my 
stomach;  my  mind  was  filled  with  monstrous  fore- 
bodings, for  one  hundred  persons  were  within  easy 
range  of  that  case  of  explosive — Including  Anna 
Bell.  I  could  not  prevent  Hiram's  arrest  and  trial 
for  criminal  negligence  if  the  facts  became 
known.  But  Gus  was  the  culprit,  if  any  one. 

As  I  looked  back,  Hiram  was  approaching. 
Somehow  I  did  not  want  to  tell  him.  It  seemed 
unnecessary,  and  I  could  save  him  that  much  appre- 
hension. I  must  have  looked  strange  to  him  when 
he  came  up  to  where  I  stood  as  one  ossified.  He 
took  hold  of  my  arm,  and  said  fraternally :  "Come 
on,  Ben;  you  look  as  white  as  if  you  had  seen  a 
ghost."  But  I  could  not  move.  I  only  stared  at  the 
passing  train. 

Hiram  plucked  my  sleeve.  "Ben,  you  look  as 
though  you  were  standing  before  a  firing  squad — 


92 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

just  as  I  must  have  looked  when  the  Gold-Beater 
told  me  to  'git  up  and  git/ ' 

I  could  only  raise  my  hand  warningly  and  stare 
at  the  passing  train.  It  seemed  to  me  the  longest 
train  I  ever  knew  one  locomotive  to  haul,  and 
though  it  was  moving  at  least  twenty  miles  per  hour 
it  appeared  to  creep. 

I  raised  my  hand  to  my  forehead  and  found  it 
dripping  with  perspiration.  Hiram  grabbed  my 
shoulders  with  both  hands  and  shook  me. 

"Ben,  have  you  gone  stark  mad  ?" 

I  had  forgotten  he  was  there  and  scarcely  heard 
or  felt  him.  I  saw  the  way-car  emerge  from  the 
trees  and  approach  the  station.  I  could  not  help 
raising  my  arm  and  point  that  way  and  did  not 
lower  it  until  we  were  both  thrown  violently  to  the 
ground. 

It  is  useless  to  try  to  describe  the  crashing  of  the 
intonation  on  my  ears.  I  thought  my  hearing  was 
destroyed.  Before  the  concussion  threw  us  prone 
there  was  a  fleeting  impression  of  a  dense  red  flame 
that  came  from  the  station.  The  instant  the  way- 
car  passed  it  was  lifted  from  the  track.  I  afterward 


93 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

learned  it  was  detached  from  the  cars  ahead  and 
rolled  over  twice. 

The  man  who  said  there  are  words  to  describe 
everything  groveled  in  ignorance.  I  saw  Hiram 
running  toward  the  station ;  he  fairly  flew,  his  legs 
moving  rapidly  as  though  motor-driven.  I  saw  he 
did  not  even  relax  his  speed  when  he  ran  around 
the  deep  hole  where  the  station  had  stood  a  few 
moments  before,  but  continued  to  D.  R.  Morgan's 
store  and  beyond  that  to  the  residence — or  maybe 
he  was  going  to  the  river  to  do  as  he  had  advised 
the  love-sick  Gus.  I  only  know  what  he  told  me 
about  it  afterward.  How  the  conductor  and  rear 
brakeman,  after  being  rattled  about  in  the  way-car 
as  dice  in  a  box,  escaped  with  only  bruises  and  cuts 
was  a  wonder  to  me,  and  when  I  finally  learned  that 
the  fatalities  were  confined  to  a  team  of  mules 
forced  through  the  front  of  Morgan's  store,  my  re- 
lief was  immense. 

Gus  escaped  from  the  Morgan  house  in  his  night 
shirt,  and  ran  down  under  the  river  bank,  cower- 
ing and  cringing,  along  with  most  of  the  black  popu- 
lation. It  was  difficult  to  convince  him  he  could 
go  back  to  bed  in  safety.  The  darkies  eventually 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

realized  that  it  was  not  Gabriel's  last  call,  and  were 
coaxed  away  from  the  protecting  bank  to  help  re- 
move the  mules  from  the  front  of  Morgan's  wrecked 
store. 

When  Hiram  returned  from  the  Morgan  resi- 
dence he  was  fairly  composed.  He  came  to  me  at 
once. 

"This  is  pretty  bad  business;  was  any  one  killed  ?" 
he  asked,  bracing  himself. 

"No,  but  it  is  a  marvel." 

"They  will  blame  me  ?" 

"Yes,  likely,  at  first.  Make  no  statement  to  any 
one.  Was  your  safe  locked?  How  about  cash  and 
station  records?" 

"Yes,  it  is  always  locked;  kept  everything  there 
since  Gus  acted  luny ;  but  hasn't  it  been  destroyed  ?" 

"We'll  go  and  see." 

The  hole  where  once  stood  the  depot  would  easily 
contain  a  freight  house  and  more.  Rails  of  the  main 
track  were  ripped  up  and  twisted  as  though  made 
of  wheat  straw.  We  found  the  safe  apparently 
intact,  sticking  out  of  the  debris. 

Railroad  tickets  were  scattered  about  like  fallen 
leaves.  When  he  found  his  ticket  stamp  he  was 


95 


greatly  relieved  and  almost  laughed.  How  had  he 
suddenly  acquired  such  fortitude  and  acumen  ?  Was 
it  the  Gold-Beater's  blood  unleashed  by  work  and 
decent  living?  When  we  found  parts  of  the  new 
typewriter  he  laughed  grimly,  tossing  his  head 
backward. 

I  thought  it  best  for  Hiram  that  he  should  not 
know  how  it  happened  until  after  he  was  grilled,  as 
I  knew  he  would  soon  be. 

The  Yazoo  railroad  did  one  thing  quickly  and 
well.  In  less  than  an  hour  they  had  a  wrecker  on 
the  job,  and  by  utilizing  the  outside  track  had  estab- 
lished a  detour  .which  let  Superintendent  Kitchell's 
"special"  through  from  the  north. 

The  wrecker  reached  into  the  debris  with  its  long 
steel  arm,  picked  up  the  safe,  and  swung  it  into  the 
superintendent's  car.  He  told  Hiram  and  Gus  they 
were  relieved,  and  to  come  with  him  to  New  Or- 
leans. 

Hiram  obeyed  the  order  without  a  murmur,  but 
nevertheless  took  plenty  of  time  to  pack  all  of  his 
belongings.  He  seemed  to  know  he  was  through 
in  Quarrytown.  I  suspected  he  was  rather  delib- 
erate in  bidding  the  Morgan  family  good-by,  tak- 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ing  some  time  to  do  it,  and  was  apparently  much  ex- 
cited and  flushed  when  he  boarded  the  superin- 
tendent's car  and  waved  a  cordial  good-by  to  a 
girlish  figure  who  stood  in  front  of  the  Morgan 
store  waving  back  at  him. 


CHAPTER  X 

THERE  is  something  about  the  duties  and  ambi- 
tions of  a  railroad  superintendent  that  make  him 
wish  to  appear  inscrutable.  The  reason,  perhaps,  is 
the  man  behind  him  who  wants  his  job,  or  the  man 
ahead  whose  job  he  wants — or  both.  Anyhow,  an 
attempt  at  inscrutability  is  the  typical  refuge  for 
the  ignorant  and  the  smaller  the  road  the  more 
futile  the  attempt.  Though  I  established  my  identi- 
ty and  purpose  beyond  a  doubt,  he  at  first  refused 
to  allow  me  passage  to  New  Orleans  in  his  car. 
He  seemed  to  be  suspicious  of  me,  perhaps  that  I 
intended  to  burglarize  the  safe,  make  off  before 
his  eyes  with  a  locomotive  or  some  of  the  numer- 
ous scrap  iron  along  the  right-of-way.  However, 
he  finally  became  rational  and  reversed  himself. 

His  car  was  divided  about  the  center,  one  end 
being  private  to  himself  and  his  clerk.  The  other 
part  was  sort  of  a  reception  room,  the  "anxious" 
seat  for  subordinates.  In  this  apartment  they  had 
placed  the  safe. 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

After  we  left  Quarry  town,  his  undersized  clerk 
emerged  from  the  private  quarters  and  requested 
Hiram  to  open  the  safe,  which  he  did  promptly  and 
with  a  firm  hand.  The  clerk  took  the  contents  to  the 
superintendent.  Meanwhile  Gus  wore  a  very  red 
face  and  sighed  repeatedly,  as  though  already  on 
the  way  to  the  penitentiary  instead  of  New  Or- 
leans. 

After  examination  of  Hiram's  records  Gus  was 
called  in  before  the  Superintendent  and  given  the 
third  degree.  When  he  came  out  he  was  muchly 
upset  and  perspiring.  Hiram,  disgusted,  looked 
upon  him  with  contempt,  which  feeling  was  inten- 
sified when  the  flabby  Gus  dropped  into  a  chair  and 
glared  back  at  him  ominously.  It  may  have  been 
because  of  the  high  speed  of  the  light  engine  and  the 
solitary  car,  but  I  surely  saw  Gus's  knees  knock  to- 
gether from  sheer  fright.  He  had  likely  over- 
stated his  alibi  in  an  abandoned  and  frantic  at- 
tempt to  protect  himself  to  Hiram's  disadvantage. 

When  the  superintendent's  clerk  finally  came  to 
the  door  and  beckoned  Hiram,  the  latter's  attitude 
pleased  me.  Neither  defiant  nor  disrespectful,  he 
walked  into  the  presence  of  his  superior,  and  when 


99 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

he  emerged  from  the  interview  he  had  not  changed 
a  hair. 

Presently  the  little  clerk  stuck  his  head  out  of  the 
dividing  door  and  beckoned  to  me  in  the  same  curt 
manner  he  had  signaled  the  two  men  who  were  under 
suspicion,  I  had  no  notion  of  being  placed  in  the 
same  category  and  made  it  clear  to  the  clerk  that 
such  was  the  case.  At  once  he  became  civil  and 
led  the  way. 

When  I  entered  his  sanctum  the  superintendent 
sat  facing  me  at  the  flat  top  desk  in  the  corner  of 
the  car.  He  was  a  short,  stocky  man,  and  evi- 
denced much  perturbation  of  mind  by  mopping  his 
florid  face.  A  Flounder  had  been  clapped  on  his 
head  and  when  it  came  away  it  brought  all  the  hair 
under  it,  leaving  only  a  slight  fringe.  His  lips  and 
cherubic  mouth  were  pursed  and  screwed  up  to 
simulate  an  executive  air.  As  he  jerked  his  thumb 
indicating  a  wicker  chair  opposite  him,  I  noticed  the 
little  clerk  sat  at  a  small  desk  at  the  side  of  the  car, 
with  notebook  and  pencil  poised  significantly. 

"What  have  you  to  say  about  this  matter?"  he 
asked  without  delay,  withdrawing  his  eyes  and  wink- 
ing violently  as  soon  as  they  met  mine. 


100 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Nothing,"  I  answered  good  naturedly. 

"I  understand  you  were  here  investigating  the 
loss  of  the  dynamite  when  the  explosion  occurred. 
Have  you  no  theory  as  to  how  it  occurred  ?" 

"No,  I  have  no  theory :  I  know  how  it  occurred." 

"Would  you" — he  hesitated,  looking  down  and 
bringing  his  chubby  hands  together  before  him — 
"would  you  mind  telling  me  what  you  know  about 
it?" 

"My  information  will  not  be  available  to  the 
railroad  through  me,  but  if  you  will  dismiss  your 
clerk,  I  will  give  you,  as  man  to  man,  enough  in- 
formation to  ease  your  mind."  In  saying  this  I 
was  thinking  only  of  Hiram. 

After  some  hesitation,  he  nodded  to  the  expectant 
clerk,  who  rose  instantly  and  left  the  apartment. 

"Mr.  Taylor — I  believe  you  said  your  name  was 
Taylor — this  matter  has  upset  me,  and  I  may  have 
been  rude,"  he  apologized,  and  lapsed  into  the  atti- 
tude of  a  very  decent  fellow  with  troubles  of  his 
own.  I  then  gave  him  enough  details  to  put  Hiram 
right.  He  was  immensely  relieved  and  pleased  to 
gain  such  valuable  information. 

"You  seem  to  know  something  of  this  young 


101 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Strong?"  he  queried.  My  reply  was  that  I  thought 
I  had  a  very  good  line  on  Hiram  Strong,  Jr. 

"His  cash  and  station  records  are  as  clean  and 
straight  as  a  pin — he  seems  to  be  rather  under- 
classed  and  is  capable  of  better  things.  What  are 
his  antecedents  ?"  The  superintendent's  interest  was 
aroused. 

"My  knowledge  does  not  extend  beyond  his 
father,  a  Southerner,  now  a  prominent  financier  in 
New  York.  It  appears  he  decided  that  the  only  way 
to  make  something  of  this  boy  was  to  throw  him 
out  entirely  on  his  own  resources,  and  apparently 
the  old  gentleman's  reasoning  was  good." 

"I  believe  you  are  right;  there  is  good  blood  in 
him.  Our  big  trouble  is  in  making  good  railroad 
men  from  material  without  any  blood  base.  We 
frequently  have  to  make  *a  silk  purse  from  a  sow's 
ear,'  which  is  generally  considered  impossible — but 
we  do  it.  Now  the  case  of  this  other  fellow — can 
you  conceive  of  a  full  grown  man  with  no  better 
sense  than  to  take  a  fifty-pound  case  of  dynamite, 
drive  nails  into  it,  and  then  use  it  as  a  chair?  But 
I  am  greatly  relieved  to  know  just  how  it  happened, 
and  if  I  can  ever  be  of  any  service  to  you,  don't  fail 


102 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

to  make  it  known — will  you  ?"  he  asked,  rising  for- 
mally, to  end  the  audience. 

When  I  came  out  Hiram  glanced  at  me  search- 
ingly,  as  though  he  would  learn  something  from  my 
attitude.  He  had  been  absorbing  information  from 
the  train  conductor.  Hiram  had  developed  a  pen- 
chant for  burrowing  into  the  confidence  of  every 
one  and  getting  inside  knowledge  of  their  diffi- 
culties. 

At  this  time  we  succeeded  in  running  around  a 
freight  train  that  had  been  holding  us  back,  and 
entered  New  Orleans  so  fast  that  conversation  was 
quite  impossible. 

Before  we  reached  the  station  the  clerk  came 
out  and  told  Hiram  and  Gus  to  report  at  the  office 
at  nine  the  next  morning,  at  which  Hiram  became 
thoughtful,  but  not  downcast. 

He  was  able  to  get  his  old  room  next  to  mine, 
which  pleased  him,  and  after  opening  the  connecting 
door  and  cleaning  up  a  bit,  he  came  in  and  gave  me 
one  of  his  strenuous  whacks  between  my  shoulders. 

"Old  man  Ben,  what  do  I  draw  to-morrow  morn- 
ing at  nine?" 

"Hiram,    I    don't   know,"    I   truthfully   replied, 


103 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

working  my  shoulders  where  he  had  hit  me,  "but  I 
think  you  will  be  drawn  and  quartered  and  made 
into  good  fertilizer;  that's  all  you're  fit  for."  At 
this  he  began  to  cavort  and  caper  about  like  a  colt. 

"Well,  I  don't  mind  telling  you  how  I  feel — I 
don't  give  a  Continental  sou  Marquis  what  I  draw. 
I  feel  like  fighting  wild  cats  and  buzz-saws.  Now 
that  Anna  Bell  Morgan  has  promised  to  marry  me, 
nothing  else  matters." 


104 


CHAPTER  XI 

HIRAM  and  I  were  soon  ready  for  the  next  thing 
in  order — something  to  eat. 

"I  suppose  now  you  will  want  a  porterhouse  as 
big  as  Rhode  Island " 

"And  as  thick  as  a  London  fog,  with  enough 
'mushrooms  to  choke  an  alligator,"  he  broke  in  joy- 
ously. "Ben — I  want  you  to  know  right  now  that 
I  think  you  are  an  infernal  scoundrel.  You  know 
why  my  brand-new  typewriter  blew  up  this  morn- 
ing and  started  the  whole  of  Quarrytown  over  into 
the  river,  incidentally  putting  the  main  line  on  the 
bum — and  won't  tell  me !"  he  added,  squaring  him- 
self in  front  of  me. 

"You'd  better  wait  until  to-morrow  and  see  what 
your  sentence  is  before  you  begin  to  accuse  me,"  I 
replied,  with  a  solemn  wink  which  he  couldn't  quite 
fathom. 

"Oh,  I  suppose  the  'Sauerkraut'  and  I  will  get 
bounced  incontinently.  But  what  do  I  care?  Had 
it  not  been  for  what  happened  this  morning  I 


105 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

wouldn't  know  that  a  perfectly  sweet  and  innocent 
girl  really  loves  me.  I  don't  care  if  this  part  of  the 
world  comes  to  an  end,  you  can't  get  me  into  the 
doldrums.  Besides,  I  know  my  hands  are  clean, 
and  I  have  done  nothing  for  which  they  should 
blame  me,  but  they  may  be  looking  for  a  horrible 
example — a  railroad  is  a  railroad — eh,  Ben?" 

Then,  assuming  a  more  serious  attitude,  he  con- 
tinued : 

"I've  got  a  trade  now — a  way  of  making  a  liv- 
ing. I  can  walk  up  the  street  and  look  any  man  or 
woman  in  the  eye,  as  one  who  can  account  for  him- 
self, who  can  do  something  useful,  and  at  the  same 
time  possess  the  love  of  a  good  girl — it's  great, 
Ben!  Do  you  know  anything  about  such  things? 
I  shall  be  no  man's  dog  in  the  future.  Already  I've 
kicked  the  can  off  of  my  tail,  to  use  a  figure  of 
speech." 

"I  don't  quite  understand  you,  Hiram,"  said  I, 
recalling  the  fact  that  this  was  the  second  time  he 
had  referred  to  some  such  handicap. 

"I've  been  up  there  on  the  river  where  it's  so 
quiet  that  one's  own  thoughts  are  as  loud  as  grand 
opera,  and  I  have  figured  it  out,"  he  began,  insert- 


106 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ing  his  thumbs  in  the  arm-holes  of  his  vest  and  mov- 
ing over  to  look  out  of  the  window.  "Of  course, 
you  understand,  I  used  the  word  dog  as  a  figure  of 
speech,  but  what  I  mean  is  that  the  Gold-Beater, 
instead  of  making  me  work  and  learn  something  at 
the  right  time,  gave  me  money  to  spend,  and  then, 
along  with  old  women  and  maidens,  old  men,  and 
gentry  in  general,  he  winked  knowingly,  indulgent- 
ly, as  I  was  toboganning  to  Hades;  then  of  a  sud- 
den, inside  of  a  day,  I  am  kicked  out,  and  told  to  go 
to  work  or — Blazes — he  didn't  care  which — me  with 
my  head  as  empty  as  a  base  drum  and  muscles  as 
soft  as  a  jelly  fish.  Oh,  I'm  not  exactly  sore  on  the 
Gold-Beater — he  did  no  worse  than  a  million  others, 
but  it's  all  wrong,  Ben,"  he  emphasized,  turning  his 
eyes  upon  me. 

I  preferred  not  to  take  him  seriously. 

"Hiram,  there's  a  store  on  the  corner  where  we 
can  get  a  soap  box,  and  I'll  try  to  arrange  with  the 
police  for  a  place  in  the  square " 

"Oh,  I  see  you  are  like  the  rest  of  them;  your 
head  is  like  a  cocoanut — a  shell  that  you  have  to 
open  with  a  hatchet;  then  some  soft,  indigestible 
stuff,  and  real  brains  no  more  than  the  milk  space 


107 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

inside.  Come  on,  let's  get  some  food,"  he  sneered, 
grabbing  me  by  the  arm,  and  fairly  rushing  me  out 
on  the  street. 

He  spent  most  of  the  evening  talking  about  Anna 
Bell  Morgan  and  his  plans.  Like  every  man  in  love, 
he  gave  me  a  poor  idea  of  her — but  I  inferred  she 
was  about  twenty-two,  and  from  my  distant  view 
of  her  I  knew  she  did  not  run  to  flesh.  I  was  ready 
to  give  her  a  high  mark  on  that  score. 

"Suppose  you'll  marry  her  at  once?"  said  I,  arch- 
ing my  brows  knowingly. 

"Oh,  no;  not  yet;  she  says  I  must  make  good  be- 
fore she  will  marry  me,"  he  replied  in  answer  to 
my  query,  "and  besides,  she  has  plans.  She  wants 
to  learn  something,  too.  She  is  coming  down  to 
New  Orleans  to  go  to  school — her  father  has  prom- 
ised her  that  for  a  long  time.  Perhaps  that  rnule 
team  going  through  the  front  of  the  store  may  de- 
lay things,  but  not  long.  Anna  Bell  has  been  help- 
ing with  his  books  and  knows  a  lot  for  one  who 
has  always  been  shut  in." 

The  next  evening  when  I  heard  him  coming  up 
the  stairs  four  steps  at  a  time  I  backed  into  a  cor- 
ner. When  he  felt  that  way  I  knew  I  would  get 


108 


a  thump  on  my  back  equal  to  being  kicked  by  an 
ox. 

"Ben,  you  scoundrel,  come  out  of  there;  I  want 
to  hit  you.  I've  got  it — I've  got  it  this  time  right !" 
he  began,  reaching  for  me  excitedly,  and  playful  as 
a  young  lion.  "I  believe  it's  all  your  work — Pm 
promoted — I  didn't  get  bounced;  the  big  chief  did 
the  handsome  thing — right  here  in  New  Orleans!" 
This  was  as  coherent  as  he  was  able  to  make  him- 
self. 

"Sit  down,  Hiram; — what  is  he  going  to  give 
you?" 

"Going  to  give  me?  I've  already  got  it;  been  at 
work  all  day.  Four  tracks  on  the  wharf.  Got 
charge  of  all  the  perishable  freight — meat  incoming 
and  fruit  outgoing — office  to  myself  on  the  dock. 
First  thing  I  did  was  to  wire  Anna  Bell — then  went 
to  it.  Great  job,  Ben,  and  I'm  going  to  like  it 
Got  a  new  typewriter  to  replace  the  one  I  lost. 
Beats  Qnarrytown,  and  twice  the  money.  Why 
don't  you  warm  up  and  congratulate  me?"  he 
almost  shouted,  rising  quickly  from  the  chair  and 
reaching  for  my  shoulders  again,  but  I  dodged  him. 

"Already  received  a  wire  from  Anna  Bell,"  he 


109 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

continued.  "She's  a  great  girl;  the  best  ever. 
You  sly  old  dog,  you  knew  it  was  the  box  we  were 
using  for  a  stool ;  I  can  see  it  now,  but  do  you  know, 
I  somehow  feel  sorry  for  Gus;  he  was  just  love- 
sick— he  didn't  know  half  the  time  what  he  was  do- 
ing. He  was  not  so  much  to  blame,  but  Anna  Bell 
wasn't  to  blame,  either,  for  she  never  led  him  on." 

"What  did  they  do  for  him  ?"  I  interrupted,  fear- 
ful that  he  would  lose  his  breath  entirely. 

"I  did  all  I  could  to  save  him,  and  they  didn't 
fire  him.  They  gave  him  another  night  station 
somewhere  in  the  swamps.  But  say,  I've  got  to 
step  pretty  lively  to  keep  up  with  this  job — how- 
ever, it  won't  be  so  bad  when  I  get  things  straight- 
ened out,"  he  bubbled.  At  first  I  was  afraid  he 
had  been  drinking,  but  it  was  just  Hiram  Strong, 
Jr.,  rinding  himself. 

I  had  something  special  on  for  that  night,  or  I 
think  he  would  have  talked  me  to  sleep.  He  made 
me  promise  to  come  around  the  next  day  and  see 
his  layout.  As  I  left  him,  he  began  writing  to 
Anna  Bell,  telling  her  all  about  everything. 

When  I  saw  him  the  next  afternoon,  he  had  on  a 
hickory  jumper  and  cap,  and  was  bossing  the  final 


110 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

cleaning  of  a  long,  roofed-over  wharf,  strewn  with 
broken  cases,  trash  and  dirt — the  accumulation  of 
years. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  me  he  began  to  smile.  He  was 
full  of  energy,  urging  the  negro  laborers  to  take 
away  the  last  load,  so  that  he  could  leave  on  time. 
He  pointed  out  how  he  had  charge  of  the  tracks 
on  the  wharf.  The  worst  feature  of  the  situation 
was  that  he  had  to  be  there  at  4.30  a.  m.  with  Gov- 
ernment meat  inspectors,  to  let  the  packing-house 
people  have  their  meat  early,  but  he  was  through 
about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  as  soon  as  the 
north-bound  fruit  was  loaded. 

"That  means  you  must  get  out  about  four  in  the 
morning?" 

"Yes,  but  I  don't  mind  that." 

"Hiram,  it  is  not  so  long  ago  that  you  did  not 
think  seriously  of  going  to  bed  until  that  time." 

"Yes,  that's  a  fact — but,"  said  he,  sobering,  "it 
seems  an  age  and  appears  to  me  now  like  a  night- 
mare. Say,  do  you  want  to  make  an  investment?" 
he  asked,  changing  the  subject  abruptly,  and  assum- 
ing the  air  of  good-natured  bargaining  that  seemed 
so  natural  with  him. 


Ill 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Yes,  what  is  it?" 

"There  is  a  barrel  of  filings  the  agent  told  me 
to  sell  for  junk.  He  says  a  foundry  can  use  it  to 
melt  up.  It's  been  kicking  around  here  for  years. 
It  weighs  seven  hundred  pounds  net;  give  me  a 
cent  a  pound  and  you  can  have  it,"  said  he,  walk- 
ing over  to  one  side  of  the  dock,  a  sort  of  ware- 
house, and  giving  an  old  dingy  barrel,  lying  on  its 
bilge,  a  shove  with  his  foot. 

Mechanically  I  did  the  same,  and  wondered  why 
filings  were  packed  in  that  kind  of  a  barrel.  I 
leaned  over  to  examine  it  more  closely,  and  noted 
the  word  "Filings"  marked  on  each  head.  Then 
I  suddenly  recalled  that  very  day  I  had  been  asked 
to  look  inside  of  a  storage  place  nearby,  the  same 
being  suspected  of  contraband  operations,  and  this 
would  offer  a  genuine  excuse.  I  examined  the  bar- 
rel more  closely.  It  was  very  strong,  and  old, 
scarred,  mysterious.  I  planned  to  send  it  to  a  cer- 
tain suspected  warehouse,  and  later  would  go  there 
to  draw  a  sample,  thereby  gaining  admittance  with- 
out revealing  my  real  mission. 

"Will  you  deliver  it,  Hiram?" 

"Yes,   deliver  anywhere  you  want;  will  put  it 


112 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

on  the  back  of  that  cart  right  now,"  he  replied,  with 
a  bantering  smile. 

"All  right;  here  is  your  money;  give  me  a  re- 
ceipted bill  as  the  railroad's  agent,"  I  said,  walking 
around  the  barrel. 

Hiram  grabbed  the  money  from  my  hand,  and 
after  a  parting  injunction  to  the  laborers  went  to 
his  little  office  in  the  corner.  I  gave  the  heavy  bar- 
rel a  shove  with  my  foot  and  rolled  it  over.  I  wet 
my  finger,  pressed  it  close  to  the  chimes  on  a  slight 
sifting  that  might  be  sand,  but  when  I  brought  my 
finger  away  it  had  turned  black  at  the  point  of  con- 
tact and  violet  at  the  edges  where  the  contact  was 
less  firm. 

I  was  examining  it  critically  when  Hiram  returne 
with  the  change  and  a  receipted  bill.  After  giving 
the  dray  directions  where  to  take  the  barrel,  and 
saying  that  he  would  be  there  soon  to  get  the  ware- 
house receipt,  Hiram  intimated  that  he  was  through 
for  the  day. 

"Wait  until  I  change  my  clothes  and  I  will  go 
with  you,"  he  said,  hurrying  to  the  little  office. 

"You  see,  this  is  a  great  system,"  he  began  to  ex- 
plain enthusiastically,  when  he  returned  in  his  street 


113 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

attire.  "These  tracks  hold  a  train  of  refrigerator 
cars  containing  meat  that  comes  in  every  morning 
on  passenger  trains.  The  packing-house  agents  get 
it  out  first  thing  in  the  morning  while  it  is  cool,  for 
the  early  market.  Then,  you  see,  fruit  steamers 
from  Gulf  and  South  American  ports  come  along- 
side the  wharf,  load  bananas,  oranges,  and  so  on, 
into  the  same  cars.  The  refrigerator  system  keeps 
them  cool  in  the  summer  and  prevents  freezing  in 
the  winter.  Then  they  return  north  as  special,  fast, 
perishable.  The  packing-house  centers  at  Mem- 
phis, Chicago,  Kansas  City,  and  Missouri  and 
Mississippi  River  points  get  fresh  fruit  each  twenty- 
four  to  thirty  hours.  The  train  has  got  to  be  out 
of  here  before  three  p.  m.,  after  which  I'm  through. 
Looks  pretty  nice  when  it's  all  cleaned  up,"  he  en- 
thused, waving  his  arm  about  the  wide  dock  about 
eight  hundred  feet  long,  paralleling  the  river,  now 
swept  and  clean. 

A  refreshing  breeze  came  from  Algiers  across  the 
wonderful  Mississippi,  now  literally  jammed  with 
ocean-going  and  river  vessels. 

"I  imagine  it  is  very  interesting  work,  but  will 


114 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

require  great  care  and  diligence,"  I  suggested,  as  we 
walked  out  to  Canal  street  and  started  uptown. 

"Yes,  but  not  so  hard.  The  fruit  is  easy,  but  the 
meat  comes  in  with  three  seals — a  Government  seal, 
the  shippers'  seal,  and  the  railroad  seal.  Three  of 
us  open  the  cars.  A  Government  inspector  breaks 
the  Government  seal,  I  break  our  seal  and  the  pack- 
ing-house agent  breaks  their  seal.  Then  the  car  is 
checked  on  the  spot.  You  see,  there  is  not  much 
chance  for  error  that  way ;  besides,  meat  is  all  billed 
'Shipper's  weight  and  count,'  but  the  freight  agent — 
you  know  I  am  under  the  New  Orleans  freight 
agent — has  cautioned  me  to  be  very  careful.  From 
the  way  he  acts  and  talks  I  think  my  predecessor  got 
into  some  kind  of  trouble,  but  no  more  trouble  for 
your  Uncle  Dudley.  What  could  be  worse  than  sit- 
ting on  a  case  of  dynamite  every  day  and  scratching 
matches  on  it?" 

We  had  now  turned  off  Canal  Street,  and  arrived 
at  the  warehouse  where  the  barrel  was  sent.  I  was 
given  a  regular  receipt,  and  we  resumed  our  way 
uptown. 

"Hiram,  there's  something  else  in  that  barrel — 
it's  not  iron  filings ;  it's  something  that  may  be  worth 


115 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

much  more,  and  now  I'm  going  to  take  you  in  as  a 
partner  on  it.  Give  me  three-fifty,  half  what  I  paid, 
and  we  will  go  fifty-fifty,"  I  said,  with  little  ap- 
parent concern. 

Hiram  stopped  still  and  looked  at  me  keenly,  then 
gave  me  the  money. 

"Ben,  if  you  were  to  tell  me  to  jump  in  the  river 
I  would,  knowing  I  would  get  out  and  get  something 
for  it — after  that  deal  at  Quarrytown.  I  started  to 
say  what  Anna  Bell  said  about  you  in  connec- 
tion  "  He  was  abruptly  interrupted  by  our  meet- 
ing a  man  from  the  Department  who  wanted  me  at 
once,  so  I  told  Hiram  I  would  see  him  later. 


116 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  next  day  I  returned  to  the  warehouse,  and 
with  great  formality  drew  samples  from  both  ends 
of  the  barrel  into  small  manila  envelopes  and,  as 
anticipated,  this  resulted  in  quite  a  talk  with  the 
owner  of  the  place,  whom  I  interrogated  closely,  for 
I  wanted  to  learn  just  what  kind  of  a  business  he 
was  doing,  although  it  seemed  legitimate  enough. 
The  Department  said  it  was  worth  seven  dollars  to 
get  that  information,  and  I  intended  to  return 
Hiram's  money. 

The  presumption  was  that  some  frugal  machinist 
had  saved  his  bench  filings  until  he  had  a  barrel  full 
and  sold  it  as  junk.  But  how  did  it  get  there  with- 
out an  address  marking? 

The  big  interrogation  point  was  up  on  everything 
at  that  time,  owing  to  the  acute  stage  of  the  war. 
Steel  filings  were  not  soluble  and  would  not  blacken 
my  finger.  The  stuff  looked  more  like  rifle  powder. 
I  finally  decided  to  mail  a  sample  to  a  chemist  in 
New  York  for  analysis. 


117 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

The  whirligig  of  events  took  me  out  of  New  Or- 
leans the  next  day  to  various  Gulf  ports  and  along 
the  coast  as  far  north  as  New  York.  In  his  first 
communication  Hiram  said  he  was  doing  fine,  and 
the  remainder  of  a  six-page  letter  was  a  laudation 
of  the  charms  of  Anna  Bell  Morgan.  There  in  New 
Orleans  she  was  realizing  her  lifelong  ambition,  and 
taking  a  course,  but  he  did  not  say  what  kind.  Soon 
after  I  heard  from  him  again  and  he  hinted  at 
trouble,  but  finished  with  a  lengthy  encomium  of 
the  Quarrytown  young  woman. 

The  third  letter  was  unmistakably  a  storm  signal, 
a  cry  for  relief  he  was  sure  I  could  give  were  I 
there;  not  a  wail,  but  a  courageous  man's  request 
for  suitable  weapons  with  which  to  battle.  "When 
did  I  expect  to  get  back?"  Directly  or  indirectly 
he  asked  this  question  several  times  in  his  com- 
munication, but  did  not  mention  Anna  Bell  Morgan, 
and  by  which  token  I  concluded  his  trouble  lay  in 
that  quarter.  When  we  did  meet  again  there  was 
no  mistaking  his  concern  about  his  troubles,  and  his 
esteem  of  my  ability  to  aid  him. 

Three  months  had  worked  a  most  remarkable 
change.  There  was  no  doubt  that  his  buoyant  op- 


118 


timism  and  sense  of  humor  had  received  a  shock. 
About  his  up-curving,  laughing,  clean-chiseled 
mouth  had  crept  a  curious  drooping  tendency.  Fear, 
corroding,  soul-destroying  fear,  had  found  a  footing 
there.  His  eyes  had  retreated  under  a  shelf  and  his 
black  brows  moved  down,  while  his  remarkably 
straight  nose  appeared  more  prominent;  his  up- 
standing, wavy  raven  hair  evidenced  neglect,  and 
instead  of  a  resounding  whack  on  my  back  came 
the  firm,  sure,  hearty  grip  of  a  man. 

He  would  not  let  me  look  over  my  hat  full  of 
mail,  much  of  which  bore  many  redirections  and 
additional  post-office  stamps.  I  had  retained  my 
room  adjoining  his  while  away,  and  it  was  there 
we  were  now  seated. 

"You  know,  Ben,"  he  began,  after  leaning  his 
chair  back  against  the  window  sill — there  was  a  sort 
of  dogged  intensity  in  the  manner  he  raised  both  his 
feet  to  the  corner  of  the  table — "the  general  freight 
agent  hinted  at  trouble  down  on  the  wharf  when  I 
went  there.  I  didn't  pay  much  attention  because  I 
knew  I  could  do  the  work,  and,  being  on  the  level, 
why  should  I  care  what  had  happened  previously  ? 


119 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Well,  for  a  month  or  more  everything  went  on 
splendidly.  Then  I  became  aware  that  my  work  was 
being  scrutinized  closely.  I  learned  by  accident  that 
all  my  records  were  checked  and  double  checked, 
which  was  altogether  unusual.  I  seemed  to  be  get- 
ting under  a  cloud,  and  the  cloud  kept  getting  darker 
all  the  time.  The  specials  came  nosing  about,  first 
from  the  consigning  packing  houses,  then  the  rail- 
road and  finally  the  Government  inspectors  from 
the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  under  whose  super- 
vision all  meat  is  shipped  interstate.  I  paid  no  atten- 
tion except  to  be  more  careful.  If  I  did  my  work 
right,  why  should  I  care  if  the  packing-house  agents 
and  meat  inspectors  that  break  the  seals  on  the  cars 
with  me  in  the  morning  began  looking  at  me  as 
though  I  had  horns  and  a  forked  tail  concealed 
about  me  ? 

"I  lived  quietly — in  fact  I  had  to.  When  you  get 
out  at  three-thirty  in  the  morning,  you've  got  to  be 
in  bed  before  nine;  besides,  the  old  life  doesn't  ap- 
peal to  me  any  more.  In  fact,  I  experience  loathing 
and  actual  nausea  when  I  happen  to  think  of  it.  And 
then,  while  my  salary  is  pretty  good  now,  I  had  no 


120 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

money  to  spend  when  trying  to  save  every  cent.  It 
is  true  that  for  a  long  time  I  had  my  dinners  with 
Anna  Bell — you  know  she  is  here — but  lately  I 
don't  even  do  that. 

"Now  the  losses  run  up  into  the  thousands — and 
— and  I  am  suspected — suspected  of  being  a  thief, 
Ben " 

"How  do  you  know  you  are  ?"  I  asked  abruptly. 

"Well,  after  a  lot  of  this  mysterious  stuff,  the 
agent,  Mr.  Powell — who  appears  to  be  a  pretty  nice 
fellow — came  over  to  my  office  and  let  it  out.  He 
said  he  believed  in  me  and  had  decided  to  tell  me, 
but  I  think  it  was  just  a  smooth  plan  to  trap  me — 
to  make  me  the  goat.  I  was  shy  and  chary  of  him, 
and  am  yet. 

"He  told  me  that  since  I  came  the  meat  cars  were 
checking  up  short,  and  in  one  instance  fresh  hams 
were  short  ten  or  fifteen  tons,  and  the  packing- 
house people,  the  Government,  and  the  road's  in- 
spectors, who  have  been  working  on  it  for  months, 
were  stumped. 

"No,  he  didn't  accuse  me — he  asked  me  to  see  if 
I  couldn't  help  find  some  clew  to  the  crimes.  But, 


121 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Ben,  maybe  you  can't  quite  see  how  much  alone  I 
feel.  You  were  away,  I  don't  see  Anna  Bell  any 
more,  and  I  haven't  a  soul  to  talk  with  about  it." 

"Where  is  Anna — Miss  Morgan — now?" 

"Oh,  she's  right  here,  and  that  is  the  devil  of  it. 
I  was  getting  along  fine  and  so  was  she,  and  she 
promised,  after  she  got  a  little  further  advanced 
and  I  had  saved  a  little  money  on  which  to  start, 
we  were  to  be  married.  But,  after  this  infernal 
thing  came  up,  I  not  only  stopped  all  plans,  but  quit 
going  to  see  her.  I  made  up  my  mind  not  to  go  near 
her  as  long  as  I  was  suspected  of  being  a  thief." 

"Maybe  you  are  going  too  far — are  you  sure  she 
could  not " 

"This  is  no  youthful  escapade,  to  make  young 
women  smile  and  older  ones  nudge  each  other  and 
the  Gold-Beater  pull  his  check  book  with  a  half 
hearted  protest.  This  is  a  felony,  a  penitentiary 
offense.  I  may  be  railroaded  up  against  bars  and 
perhaps  stripes. 

"Anna  Bell  Morgan  is  as  pure  as  she  is  beautiful, 
and  if  I  don't  get  out  of  this  clean,  I  love  her  so 
much  that  I  don't  want  it  known  that  she  ever 


122 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

knew  me.  It  would  be  the  act  of  ^  dog,  and  a  down- 
right coward — and,  I  am  not  a  coward."  He 
ended  by  glaring  at  me  with  burning  eyes,  as  though 
I  might  have  been  the  author  of  his  troubles. 

"But,  Hiram — it  may  be  you  are  somewhat  mor- 
bid, and  magnify  the  gravity  of  the  matter — there 
is  always  a  way  out  for  clean  hands — pinch  and 
kick  yourself  into  a  normal  condition  and  answer 
a  few  questions  as  though  it  were  another  man's 
trouble." 

"Well,  I  will  admit  at  the  sight  of  you  I  do  feel 
better,"  he  said,  still  keeping  his  feet  almost  as  high 
as  his  head,  on  the  corner  of  my  table.  "I  am  on  the 
rack — go  ahead  with  your  third  degree  stuff,"  he 
said,  with  a  trace  of  a  smile  as  though  daring  me, 
and  pulling  out  a  plebeian  pipe,  began  rilling  it. 

"When  did  you  see  Miss  Morgan  last?" 

"Five  weeks  ago  to-morrow." 

"Have  you  written  or  telephoned?" 

"Neither,  I  tell  you " 

"All  right,"  I  said,  raising  my  hand  in  tolerant 
good  humor;  "you  feel  certain  there  were  shortages 
before  your  time  on  the  wharf?" 


123 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Yes,  I  know  it — that's  why  my  predecessor  lost 
his  job." 

"But  you  don't  know  just  what  has  been  done  ?" 
I  asked,  idly  fingering  my  mail  before  me. 

"No,  I  don't ;  but  Mr.  Powell,  the  agent,  said  the 
packing-house  and  railroad  specials  were  at  a  stand- 
still, and  the  government  was  so  short  of  men  they 
could  not  do  anything  just  now.  He  also  said  that 
he  had  personally  asked  the  local  office  of  the  De- 
partment of  Justice  to  take  it  up,  and  while  it  was 
something  outside  of  their  line,  they  promised  to 
cooperate  as  soon  as  they  had  men  available.  Hang 
it!"  he  exclaimed,  passing  his  fingers  through  his 
hair,  "it  ought  not  to  be  so  hard  to  smoke  'em  out." 

"Hiram,  I  will  see  what  can  be  done  to-morrow. 
In  the  meantime  lose  that  'going-to-hell-sure'  long 
face,  and  cheer  up.  I've  been  living  at  Barns  & 
Sheds  for  three  months,  taking  Greek  insolence  and 
grease  at  Greek  restaurants  until  I  feel  polluted  in- 
side, and  want  one  of  those " 

"Real  porterhouse  steaks,"  he  interrupted,  laugh- 
ing as  though  they  had  become  only  a  memory. 

"Give  me  a  few  moments  to  glance  over  this  mail 


124 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

before  we  go — here,  this  ought  to  interest  you, 
Hiram,"  I  said,  discovering  one  from  the  chemist  to 
whom  I  had  sent  a  sample  from  our  partnership  bar- 
rel in  storage. 

"Why — how  ?"  he  asked,  looking  sharp  as  though 
expecting  a  joke. 

I  tore  open  the  letter,  first  noticing  it  was  nearly 
three  months  old.  The  chemist  had  replied  prompt- 
ly. I  read  aloud : 

"Your  sample  suffered  a  little  in  the  mail  and  is 
too  small.  Will  you  oblige  me  by  forwarding  a 
larger  one  by  parcel  post?  If  my  guess  is  right,  the 
market  is  particularly  bare  of  this  class  of  goods, 
and  I  can  assure  a  prompt  sale  at  fancy  prices." 

"You  mean  that  old  barrel  of  junk — those  filings 
you  made  me  pay  three-fifty  for  a  half  interest  in 
your  foolishness?"  he  asked,  with  an  incredulous 
smile. 

"Hiram,"  I  began  jestingly,  "that  barrel  will  make 
us  rich  some  day :  but  seriously,  I  do  know  it  is  not 
castings  nor  junk.  However,  this  letter  is  now  three 
months  old,  and  perhaps  our  best  chance  has  gone." 

That  night  I  wired  a  certain  person  a  code  mes- 


125 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

sage  to  the  effect  that  I  was  willing  to  handle  the 
New  Orleans  case.  It  was  either  that  or  some  day 
I'd  miss  being  made  best  man  at  Anna  Bell's  wed- 
ding. 


126 


THERE  was  little  trouble  getting  the  assignment; 
in  fact,  the  authorities  were  glad  some  one  was  will- 
ing to  tackle  the  case,  for  it  had  become  a  nightmare 
and  a  stench,  but  it  was  a  case  of  "don't  begin  unless 
you  can  finish  it"  Others  had  given  it  up,  perhaps 
because  of  the  press  of  other  work.  I  was  amply 
warned  that  it  was  a  hard  nut  to  crack,  and  I  had 
a  fair  chance  of  making  a  failure  of  it.  Yes,  the 
railroad  and  packing-house  people  would  cooperate 
and  do  all  they  could.  I  was  told  to  go  over  and  see 
Mr.  Powell,  the  New  Orleans  agent,  who  all  but 
went  crazy  over  it,  and  work  out  a  plan  with  him. 

Before  night  I  was  on  the  payroll  of  the  Yazoo, 
with  a  private  office  and  a  sub-title  of  some  sort 
under  the  auditor,  having  decided  to  begin  on  the 
perishable  freight  records,  or  rather  it  was  neces- 
sary for  me  to  have  them  under  my  hand,  as  they 
were  set  down  each  day,  though  with  little  confi- 
dence that  they  would  yield  results. 

"I  don't  know  what  kind  of  a  clerk  I  can  give 


127 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

you,  for  the  whole  system  is  short  of  help,  but  I 
will  do  the  best  I  can,"  Mr.  Powell  assured  me, 
placing  at  my  disposal  the  voluminous  reports  on 
the  cases  settled,  and  those  that  were  still  pending, 
unsettled,  with  the  shippers. 

There  was  hardly  room  for  the  female  clerk  and 
myself  to  move  about  in  the  room  after  the  perish- 
able records  were  all  in  there — big  volumes  of  yel- 
low tissue  made  it  look  like  a  storehouse,  though 
they  only  extended  back  to  the  time  of  the  first 
loss. 

In  addition  to  this  arrangement  it  was  generally 
given  out  that  the  night  business  on  the  wharf 
tracks  had  been  so  largely  increased  by  the  heavy 
movement  of  fruit  that  an  extra  man  was  to  be  put 
on  to  work  opposite  Hiram,  who  went  on  at  four 
a.  m.,  and  came  off  at  three  p.  m.  As  the  general 
office  was  uptown,  more  than  a  mile  from  the  dock 
tracks,  it  was  unlikely  that  I  would  be  noticed  work- 
ing in  the  dual  capacity  of  night  clerk  on  the  wharf 
and  something  or  other  under  the  auditor  in  the 
general  offices.  But  in  this  we  soon  found  we  had 
miscalculated. 

When  Hiram  learned  the  arrangement  he  was 


128 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

jubilant.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  he  had  come 
to  look  on  my  capacity  to  clear  up  a  mystery  as  un- 
limited. The  joy  of  anticipation  supplanted  fear, 
but  he  did  not  fully  recover  his  old,  buoyant,  op- 
timistic self. 

He  never  mentioned  Anna  Bell  Morgan,  but  I 
was  sure  he  thought  of  her  about  all  the  time  he 
was  not  busy. 

"Ben,"  he  began  one  night,  laughing,  "did  you 
send  your  friend  in  New  York  another  sample  of 
those  steel  filings  on  which  we  are  paying  storage? 
I  believe  you  will  soon  graduate  into  the  'Prince 
of  conmen,'  or  a  second-story  worker.  I  tell  you 
it  takes  a  pretty  good  man  to  stop  me  in  the  middle 
of  the  street  and  subtract  three-fifty  from  my  jeans 
for  a  half-interest  in  a  barrel  of  junk." 

"No,  not  yet,  but  I  expect  to  soon." 

But  after  I  had  been  working  in  the  dual  role  of 
wharf  night  clerk  and  assistant  auditor  for  a  week 
and  nothing  happened,  he  began  to  get  uneasy,  but 
somehow  did  not  doubt  the  final  outcome. 

We  usually  ate  dinner  together,  then  we  would 
come  down  to  his  little  office  in  the  corner  of  the 


129 


wharf  and  he  would  stay  with  me  until  his  early 
bed-time. 

"How  long  are  you  going  to  stand  this  night- 
and-day  business?  I  don't  see  when  you  get  any 
sleep?"  he  asked,  evidently  edging  over  for  some 
information,  not  volunteered. 

"One  doesn't  need  much  sleep  on  a  loafing  job 
like  this.  You  see,  there  is  little  to  do  here  nights, 
and  less  in  the  day  time,  so  I  manage  pretty  well." 
I  had  told  him  little  about  my  office  work. 

"Why  can't  I  stay  here  every  other  night  for 
you,  so  that  you  can  get  more  sleep?  I  can  stand 
it." 

"I  don't  look  as  though  I  was  getting  thin,  do 
I  ?  By  the  way,  who  is  that  fat  party  I  notice  about 
here  occasionally,  who  seems  to  be  interested  in 
loading  for  Becker  &  Co.  ?" 

"You  mean  that  fellow  whose  face  looks  like 
over-ripe  cow's  liver,  and  waddles,  and  whose 
clothes  are  smelly?" 

"Yes,  I  think  that  is  the  man,"  I  replied,  smiling. 

"That  is  Becker  himself.  He  buys  all  the  rejects 
of  the  city's  provision  inspectors  and  almost  any- 
thing that's  got  grease  or  fertilizer  in  it.  He  used 


130 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

to  load  that  stuff  during  the  day,  but  they  got  to 
making  a  fuss  about  his  taking  it  through  the  street 
and  made  him  handle  it  at  night,  when  graveyards 
hold  their  noses.  Gad,  I  always  hate  to  see  him 
coming." 

"Becker  &  Co.,  fertilizer  works  ?" 

"Yes,  somewhere  up  the  river." 

The  next  morning  I  was  late  and  was  hurrying 
into  the  building  occupied  by  the  auditor,  in  which 
I  had  my  office.  It  contained  more  than  four  stories, 
was  about  two  hundred  feet  long,  with  a  wide  hall 
through  the  center  of  each  floor.  The  room  as- 
signed to  me  was  on  the  third  floor,  and  was 
reached  by  narrow  stairs. 

When  I  passed  the  second  floor  I  saw  Becker  at 
the  far  end  of  the  hall  talking  to  a  young  woman 
clerk,  and  I  was  sure  I  saw  him  pinch  her  cheek, 
and  furthermore,  I  was  absolutely  certain  that  the 
object  of  his  frolicsome  caress  was  my  clerk,  who 
entered  the  office  immediately  after  me.  She  ap- 
peared to  be  somewhat  flustered,  and  her  cheeks 
flamed  with  color. 

The  incident  was  not  particularly  significant,  but 
enough  to  make  me  want  to  know  all  about  Mr. 


131 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Becker,  of  Becker  &  Co.,  fertilizer  manufacturers, 
and  also  about  the  young  woman  who  compiled  my 
data  and  wrote  my  letters. 

^  I  recalled  that  our  association  had  been  so  per- 
functory that  I  failed  to  remember  her  name.  She 
took  dictation  well,  was  a  good  typist  and  her  rec- 
ords were  neat.  Withal  she  worked  hard.  Like 
good  oil  on  bearings,  she  made  the  wheels  go  round 
without  attracting  my  attention. 

Ideal  office  assistants  try  to  make  themselves  into 
humanized  machines.  Miss  Bascom  had  accom- 
plished this  so  well  that  I  had  to  inquire  about  her 
name  even  after  a  week's  service. 

My  desk  was  near  the  hall  entrance,  while  hers 
was  over  near  the  window,  partially  obscured  by 
stacks  of  records.  She  was,  on  closer  inspection, 
more  than  comely,  and  the  way  she  punched  the 
keys  of  the  typewriter  indicated  she  was  purpose- 
ful— not  an  accident.  That  she  could  allow  a  greasy, 
uncouth  man  like  Becker  to  make  up  to  her  seemed 
absurd.  More  to  amuse  Hiram,  I  mentioned  the 
matter  to  him  that  night. 

"My  Heavens,"  said  he,  holding  his  nose  between 
finger  and  thumb,  "it  would  take  a  pretty  strong 


132 


stomach  to  stand  for  that  fellow — but  you  can't 
tell!  Maybe  there  are  enough  dollar  signs  on  his 
face  to  make  up  for  his  smelly  clothes  and  age. 
But,  even  in  my  palmiest  days  of  riot,  the  'beauty 
and  beast'  idea  was  a  shock — too  much  'bargain  and 
sale'  to  suit  me" — and  I  believe  he  was  wondering  if 
Anna  Bell  Morgan  would  ever  succumb  to  such  a 
love  for  the  sake  of  money. 

"Hiram,  I  don't  quite  sympathize  with  your  atti- 
tude toward  Miss  Morgan.  Are  you  sure  you  are 
doing  the  right  thing?" 

"Perhaps  not,"  he  replied,  thoughtfully,  as 
we  walked  down  the  wharf.  "It  may  be  the  pendu- 
lum has  swung  the  other  way  and  I  am  at  the 
farthest  point  away  from  her.  But  after  all,  that 
is  something  one  must  settle  for  himself.  She 
promised  to  wait  in  absolute  silence  until  I  had  the 
matter  straightened.  And  again,  perhaps  you  don't 
understand — they  have  a  different  code  here." 

I  waited  for  him  to  continue,  looking  westward 
across  the  shipping  in  the  river  at  the  setting  sun, 
now  enlarged  into  a  great  ball  of  dull  red  fire.  An- 
other moment  and  it  would  perish  from  sight  behind 
the  waters  of  the  Gulf. 


133 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"You  see,  Ben,  down  here  they  have  a  way  of 
making  a  man  feel  he  is  either  something  or  noth- 
ing. If  something,  he  respects  women,  and  must 
protect  them.  Women  are  either  good  or  bad.  If 
good  they  receive  every  consideration ;  it  is  expected 
— demanded.  The  ways  of  New  York  would  not 
be  tolerated  here,  and  it  is  perfectly  right  they  should 
not  be. 

"Mormonism,  and  other  degeneracy,  usually 
dubbed  'Bohemianism,'  doesn't  go  here.  Fathers, 
big  brothers,  or  next  of  male  kin  stand  guard  for 
the  women  of  the  South.  When  they  put  a  bullet 
through  a  licentious  scoundrel  the  judge  shakes 
hands  with  them.  And  it's  the  same  way  about 
honor.  If  a  man's  honesty  is  in  question  he  has  no 
business  to  compromise  a  good  woman's  name  by 
forcing  his  attentions  upon  her.  When  he  has 
cleared  himself  it  is  time  enough  to  straighten  things 
out.  So,  if  our  love  will  not  stand  the  strain  of 
waiting  it's  no  good — not  love,  at  all." 

The  next  day  at  the  noon  hour  I  saw  my  female 
clerk  in  a  certain  situation  that  led  me  into  all 
sorts  of  information.  Miss  Bascom  of  the  golden 


134 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

locks  was  openly  dangling  her  feminine  charms  be- 
fore Chief  Clerk  Burrell. 

I  had  only  to  glance  through  an  open  door  from 
the  hall  on  my  floor  into  a  long  room  occupied  by 
a  lot  of  clerks  of  which  he  had  charge  as  chief. 
Evidently  he  was  a  married  man,  and  of  a  species 
easily  susceptible. 

I  would  have  continued  to  think  it  was  a  case  of 
old-fashioned  man  hunting  to  win  free  board  and 
a  little  credit  at  the  stores,  had  it  not  been  reported 
by  a  man  detailed  at  my  request  to  see  just  what 
kind  of  smoke  Mr.  Becker  was  making  during  his 
stay  in  New  Orleans.  There  was  a  lengthy  confer- 
ence that  night  between  Burrell  and  Becker,  of 
Becker  &  Company,  with  liberal  quantities  of  gin 
fizz  on  the  side,  in  a  private  room  back  of  a  promi- 
nent hotel  bar. 

This  was  exceedingly  interesting  and  filled  with 
possibilities — a  party  of  three,  two  men  and  a 
woman,  an  unusually  attractive  young  woman  at 
that,  and  all  were  interested  in  the  movement  of 
freight,  with  this  difference,  that  Becker  might  be 
the  chief  beneficiary,  and  both  men  might  be  rising 
to  the  lure  of  beauty. 


135 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

I  spent  most  of  that  night  looking  up  the  ante- 
cedents of  this  interesting  trio  and  did  not  go  down 
to  the  wharf,  but  went  to  bed  just  before  Hiram 
arose  to  go  to  work.  Burrell,  I  found,  lived  with 
his  wife  and  two  children  and  was  inclined  to  be 
sporty;  Becker  was  a  rounder,  and  the  girl  was 
just  a  clerk  before  she  came  to  me. 

I  heard  Hiram  leaving  the  house  and  had  not 
been  sleeping  long  before  a  messenger  came  from 
him,  requesting  me  to  hurry  down  to  the  wharf.  I 
had  asked  him  to  send  for  me  the  instant  the  next 
irregularity  was  observed. 

He  was  very  much  excited  when  I  got  there,  as 
were  also  the  Government  meat  inspector  and  the 
packing-house  representative.  The  three  of  them, 
together  as  usual,  had  broken  the  seals  of  a  Kansas 
City  car  of  fresh  sausages  in  ten-pound  cartons, 
and  about  half  of  it,  from  the  center  of  the  car, 
was  gone.  This  could  be  seen  at  a  glance. 

The  four  of  us  went  into  Hiram's  little  office  at 
the  corner  of  the  wharf.  He  was  so  furious  that 
he  had  become  stoical,  even  sullen,  which  was 
promptly  misunderstood  by  the  Government  in- 
spector and  the  packing-house  agent  as  proof  of 


136 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

guilt.  In  order  to  protect  him  and  get  a  full  ex- 
pression from  them  I  took  the  attitude  of  favoring 
their  view.  He  did  not  quite  understand  this  and 
felt  it  keenly. 

Each  of  them  was  ready,  like  dogs  held  in  leash, 
to  spring  at  his  throat.  But  it  might  have  been  a 
sorry  leap :  Hiram  was  magnificent  under  such  fire. 
Surely  the  Gold-Beater  had  given  him  good  blood 
and  a  fighting  spirit  if  nothing  else. 

"Strong,"  I  began,  in  a  somewhat  authoritative 
manner,  "have  you  preserved  the  railroad's  seal  that 
was  on  this  car?" 

"Yes — here  it  is — I  have  been  saving  and  mark- 
ing every  one." 

Then  it  developed  that  the  Government  inspector 
and  the  packing-house  agent  had  been  doing  the 
same  thing,  and  all  three  were  handed  to  me.  After 
that,  at  my  suggestion,  we  went  out  and  removed 
the  seals  from  the  unopened  door  on  the  other  side 
of  the  car,  which  I  took  charge  of  after  they  had 
been  carefully  marked.  I  then  suggested  they  go 
about  their  duties  and  routine  as  though  nothing 
had  happened. 

I  had  decided  on  a  secret,  drastic  inquisition.    The 


137 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ax  must  fall  now  and  cut  where  it  would,  the  de- 
tails of  which  shall  be  avoided,  only  so  far  as  they 
concern  this  son  of  a  man  who  was  given  the  credit 
of  beating  gold — who  owned  the  gold  instead  of  it 
owning  him. 

I  could  still  feel  Hiram's  flesh  quiver  under  my 
touch  when  I  tried  to  assure  him,  by  a  pressure  on 
his  arm,  as  I  was  leaving. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  was  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  I  began  the  job  by  summoning  by 
telephone  the  rotund  and  hairless  Superintendent 
Kitchell  from  his  bed,  and  reminding  him  of  his 
promise  to  help  me  at  any  time.  Besides,  this  was 
his  funeral  anyhow,  that  was  to  be  held  at  ten 
o'clock  that  morning  in  Hiram's  little  office  on  the 
wharf. 

I  then  demanded  the  presence  of  every  man  who 
had  handled  that  car — the  loaders,  the  icers,  weigh- 
masters,  conductors,  dispatchers  and  the  yard-men 
between  Kansas  City  and  New  Orleans,  something 
over  a  thousand  miles  of  road.  Those  who  could 
not  be  there  in  so  short  a  time  must  telegraph  a 
transcript  of  their  records,  in  affidavit  form.  The 


138 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

sworn  records  were  finally  decided  on  as  the  only 
thing  possible  in  so  short  a  time. 

"I  will  come  down  to  the  general  office  and  start 
the  necessary  machinery,  but  the  time,  less  than  six 
hours,  is  too  short — it  can't  be  done,"  he  said,  evi- 
dently lashing  himself  out  of  the  drowse  and  com- 
prehending the  magnitude  of  the  order. 

"The  iron  is  hot  and  now  is  the  time  to  strike," 
I  warned. 

"All  right,  we  will  do  the  best  we  can.  I'll  get 
the  agent  and  be  there  anyhow." 

"No;  that's  just  what  I  don't  want.  This  investi- 
gation must  not  attract  attention.  Your  presence 
there  would  only  advertise  it.  After  we  are  through 
you  can  have  all  the  data,  and  do  as  you  wish,"  I 
insisted,  having  in  mind  to  assume  an  attitude  that 
would  allow  Hiram  to  work  out  his  own  salvation  if 
possible.  The  only  way  is  to  expose  a  weak  or  yel- 
low spot,  so  that  he  would  see  it  for  himself. 

Superintendent  Kitchell  again  demonstrated  that 
he  was  not  an  accident.  Before  ten  o'clock  that 
morning  he  had  accomplished  almost  the  impossi- 
ble. The  wire  that  Hiram  worked  for  a  while  was 
soon  hot  with  sworn  statements  from  every  man 


139 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

who  had  anything  to  do  with  that  car,  from  its 
loading  until  it  landed  on  the  wharf.  It  remained 
for  Hiram,  the  Agent  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  In- 
dustry, and  the  local  packing-house  agent  to  open 
the  car. 

I  glanced  over  the  mass  of  stuff  before  handing  it 
to  Hiram. 

The  shipping  clerk  of  the  packing-house  swore 
that  there  was  put  in  the  car  six  thousand  cartons, 
each  ten  pounds  net  weight,  of  prime  loose  sausages. 
This  was  verified  by  the  affidavit  of  a  checker,  then 
a  second  and  third  checker,  before  the  doors  were 
sealed  by  agents  of  the  Government,  packing-house 
and  railroad  agents.  The  railroad  weighmaster's 
figures  on  the  track  scale  verified  that.  It  was  load- 
ed and  iced  in  zero  weather,  so  that  no  delay  was 
necessary  for  re-icing  all  the  way  to  New  Orleans. 

A  verified  transcript  of  train  sheets  of  all  the  train 
dispatchers  of  both  roads  showed  that  the  car  came 
in  a  solid  train  of  perishable  provisions,  over  the 
Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  Railroad  to  Mem- 
phis, without  longer  pause  than  to  change  engines 
at  the  end  of  each  division,  where  it  was  delivered 
to  the  Yazoo  and  weighed  again — which  weight 


140 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

tallied  with  the  Kansas  City  weight— and  traveled 
into  New  Orleans  on  passenger  time.  All  this  with- 
out incident  or  delay  of  any  kind,  and  delivered  on 
the  unloading  wharf  track  at  2  130  a.  m. 

When  I  took  the  records  to  Hiram  and  told  him 
what  they  were,  I  found  him  going  about  his  work 
as  usual.  His  attitude  was  disconcerting.  Were 
his  hands  clean?  One  could  have  taken  him  for  a 
man  who  had  been  caught  with  the  goods.  If  guilty, 
I  had  little  chance  to  shield  him. 

He  carried  his  head  erect,  his  stride  was  sure  and 
determined,  but  he  had  a  glitter  that  indicated  a 
tumult  inside,  w7ith  an  attitude  of  suspicious  aloof- 
ness. The  erstwhile  mirthful  smile  on  his  lips  was 
now  supplanted  by  one  of  sarcastic  severity,  but  a 
smile  that  evidently  meant  much.  I  would  have 
given  the  world  just  then  to  know  what.  However, 
all  he  would  say  was  :  "Ben,  this  is  a  devil  of  a  mess 
and  I  am  in  the  center  of  it." 


141 


CHAPTER  XIV 

AFTER  leaving  the  sworn  records  with  Hiram  I 
started  for  my  temporary  offices  uptown.  I  wanted 
him  to  have  time  to  thoroughly  digest  them. 

At  that  time  we  had  not  been  at  war  long  and  the 
public  mind  of  New  Orleans  was  in  a  very  excited 
condition.  The  big  interrogation  point  was  raised 
on  every  person  whose  acts  did  not  bear  instant 
analysis.  Pacifists  and  enemy  aliens  were  promptly 
and  vigorously  coerced  into  outward  decency  at 
least.  No  trifling  was  permitted. 

These  continued  thefts  from  the  railroad  might 
mean  much  more  than  a  risky  enterprise  for  profit. 
I  was  given  to  understand  that  while  time  enough 
would  be  allowed,  definite  results  were  expected 
soon. 

When  I  reached  my  office,  my  clerk,  Miss  Bas- 
com,  seemed  to  be  expecting  me.  Her  greeting, 
though  intended  to  be  casual,  was  so  gladsome  I 
wondered  if  she  was  trying  to  practice  on  me  the 
same  brand  of  coquetry  she  used  on  the  chief  clerk 


142 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

— Burrell — or  was  it  to  be  a  wheedling  process? 
Surely  I  was  justified  in  expecting  something  and  I 
awaited  the  onset  with  great  interest,  convinced  that 
she  was  playing  a  role.  One  of  Miss  Bascom's  du- 
ties was  to  prepare  for  me  each  day  a  record  of 
every  car  that  arrived  on  Hiram's  wharf  or  de- 
parted therefrom. 

The  first  sheets  of  outbound  records  of  the  day 
were  of  cars  from  Becker  &  Co.  to  Becker  &  Co., 
Becker's  Landing,  Louisiana,  and  the  time  of  de- 
parture was  marked  3  130.  I  began  to  wonder  if 
it  was  purely  accidental  that  they  were  on  the  top ; 
then  came  an  exciting  moment  when  I  recalled  that 
a  car  of  sausages  arrived  at  2 130.  But  the  in- 
superable difficulty  of  making  the  transfer,  replacing 
the  seals,  and  the  like,  reassured  me. 

I  gave  Miss  Bascom  the  two  slips  and  requested 
her  to  get  me  a  memo  of  the  contents  of  those  two 
cars.  As  she  went  about  the  errand  I  wondered 
how  such  a  refined  looking  young  woman  could 
ally  herself  with  that  carcass  of  rancid  tallow  whose 
very  clothing  emitted  an  odor  which  advertised  his 
business. 

Miss  Bascom  returned  in  a  few  moments  and  laid 


143 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

the  two  slips  before  me  without  comment,  hesitat- 
ing at  the  end  of  my  desk,  indicating  interest  and 
willingness  to  be  of  further  assistance.  On  the 
bottom  of  each  slip  was  delicately  penciled  "Soap 
Grease."  I  knew  that  plebeian  soap  grease  was 
worth  more  than  prime  lard  had  been  a  short  time 
ago,  but  why  the  precaution  of  shipping  in  refrig- 
erator cars? 

"Do  you  happen  to  know  this  shipper — Becker 
&  Co.?"  I  decided  to  venture,  uncertain  whether 
Miss  Bascom  knew  I  had  seen  them  together  in  the 
hall. 

Miss  Bascom  backed  to  the  end  of  my  desk  and 
laid  a  very  pretty  elbow  on  top,  the  better  to  dis- 
play her  figure — palpable  acting,  so  it  seemed  to  me. 
Her  speech  had  a  Southern  accent  which  lends  itself 
to  dissimulation.  "Yes,"  she  replied,  "he  is  an  im- 
portant patron  of  the  road,  and  is  about  the  office 
considerably.  Everybody  knows  him."  She  did 
not  meet  my  eye,  but  looked  at  the  door  leading  to 
the  hall  expectantly.  At  that  moment  a  boy  burst 
into  the  room  wholly  unannounced,  laid  a  telegram 
addressed  to  me  on  my  desk,  and  was  gone  as  quick- 
ly as  he  came. 


144 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"I  wonder  why  they  ship  that  kind  of  freight  in 
refrigerator  cars — the  rate  is  much  higher,"  I  said, 
shoving  the  telegram  back  unopened. 

"I  think  I  heard  him  tell  Mr.  Burrell  one  day  he 
could  afford  to  pay  extra  in  order  to  receive  his 
freight  the  same  day,"  she  replied  with  a  naivete 
difficult  to  simulate. 

"Miss  Bascom,  stop  the  work  you  are  now  on 
and  prepare  an  abstract  from  these  records  of  all 
freight  sent  by  refrigerator  cars  to  Becker  &  Co. 
during  the  last  twelve  months,"  I  requested  after 
weighing  the  chance  that  she  might  be  working  with 
Becker  and  Chief  Clerk  Burrell  and  the  disadvantage 
of  their  knowing  through  her  that  an  investigation 
was  proceeding  along  those  lines. 

Miss  Bascom  seemed  unwilling  to  think  the  inter- 
view ended  or  perhaps  was  disappointed  it  had 
yielded  so  little,  but  finally  removed  her  elbow,  and, 
nonplussed,  passed  her  small  white  hand  over  her 
eyes  and  hair,  so  unusually  bronze  that  one  might 
suspect  that  it  was  "chemically  pure."  As  she  slow- 
ly passed  behind  me  to  her  desk  she  half  murmured 
to  herself,  "I  wish  I  were  a  man." 

"I  suppose  you  would  be  wearing  a  soldier's  uni- 


145 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

form  if  you  were,"  said  I,  assuming  a  semi-preoccu- 
pied attitude. 

"That's  on  the  basis  that  a  uniform  makes  a  dull 
person  look  intelligent,"  she  rejoined,  looking  se- 
riously out  of  the  window  over  her  desk. 

I  was  reading  my  telegram  and  was  too  much 
astonished  at  its  contents  to  reply.  It  was  from  the 
chemist  in  New  York  to  whom  I  had  sent  a  larger 
sample  from  the  partnership  barrel  Hiram  and  I 
had  in  storage. 


146 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  dispatch  was  very  interesting  indeed.  I  was 
about  to  go  down  and  show  the  telegram  to  Hiram, 
the  contents  of  which  would  astonish  him  more 
than  it  did  me,  at  least  cheer  him  up  a  bit,  but 
when  I  reached  the  street  something  happened  to 
intensify  my  interest  in  Becker  &  Co.  I  ran  into  a 
man  I  very  much  wanted  to  talk  with. 

"Taylor,  you  are  just  the  man  I  want  to  see,"  said 
he.  "Come  to  lunch  with  me."  It  was  the  chief's 
assistant  who  grabbed  me  by  the  arm  and  led  me 
into  a  nearby  restaurant. 

"I  have  just  left  the  chief,"  the  assistant  contin- 
ued, after  we  had  seated  ourselves,  "and  he  has 
given  me  a  hard  nut  to  crack ;  complaints  have  piled 
up  from  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  that  bad  meat, 
hams  and  lard — even  horse-meat — have  appeared  in 
this  market,  which  bear  the  genuine  stamps  and  tags 
of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  and  it  has  started 
a  devil  of  a  row,"  he  whispered  across  the  table. 
"You  are  still  working  on  that  car  robbery  case,  and 


147 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

I  thought  you  might  pick  up  something  for  me. 
Who  is  Becker  &  Co.?"  He  ended  by  asking  this 
question  so  suddenly  that  I  could  scarcely  conceal 
my  astonishment. 

"I  know  there  is  a  concern  by  that  name,  with  a 
plant  up  the  river  somewhere.  They  are  quite  heavy 
shippers,"  I  replied  easily. 

"You  can  get  the  freight  records  and  perhaps  give 
me  a  line  on  their  operations,  can't  you  ?" 

I  knew  then  that  Becker  &  Co.  had  been  men- 
tioned in  some  of  the  complaints.  Before  parting 
I  promised  to  have  some  information  for  him  by  the 
next  morning. 

I  spent  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  obtaining  com- 
mercial reports  on  them  and  making  arrangements 
to  have  their  mail  censored,  and  I  did  not  reach  my 
room  until  dinner  time. 

The  door  was  open  as  usual  between  our  rooms. 
Glancing  into  the  other  room,  I  saw  Hiram  lying  on 
his  bed  asleep,  which  was  something  unusual  for 
him,  and  there  was  something  about  his  color  that 
drew  my  attention  at  once.  He  did  not  stir  when 
I  came  alongside  the  bed. 

He  was  lying  on  his  back  with  his  head  comfort- 


148 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ably  pillowed  and  his  arms  relaxed  at  his  sides  like 
a  corpse.  His  face  was  bloodless,  and  his  high, 
wavy  black  hair  intensified  by  the  white  pillow.  It 
reminded  me  of  the  time  I  saw  him  in  the  hospital 
at  Hampton,  Virginia,  after  his  fearful  experience 
in  firing  on  the  steamer ;  but  his  body  had  now  filled 
out  and  was  even  athletic. 

He  was  either  very  tired  or — or  had  he  lapsed  into 
drink  again — or  was  it  drugs  ? 

Though  usually  a  light  sleeper,  my  touch  on  his 
wrist  did  not  arouse  him;  his  pulse  was  regular,  and 
bending  low,  I  could  not  detect  the  fumes  of  liquor. 
Xo,  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  was  just  tired  out — wor- 
ried into  fatigue  that  called  for  sleep.  He  was  go- 
ing through  the  fire  that  either  refines  or  destroys. 
Would  he  stand  it?  That  was  my  anxiety  as  I 
returned  to  my  room  to  prepare  for  dinner. 

"Ben,  is  that  you?"  he  called  presently  in  a  sleepy 
voice. 

For  answer  I  came  to  the  door,  wiping  my  hands 
and  looking  interested. 

"I  fell  asleep  waiting  for  you  to  come,  Ben.  I 
want  to  tell  you  that  I  acted  the  damned  cad  this 
morning."  Then  coming  over,  he  put  two  strong 


149 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

hands  on  my  shoulders  and  looked  straight  at  me 
with  clear  eyes. 

"Ben,"  he  continued,  as  though  suddenly  realizing 
he  was  taking  himself  too  seriously,  "I  know  you  are 
on  the  square  with  me,  I  know  you  are  doing  every- 
thing you  can  for  me,  but  your  movements  are  mad- 
deningly deliberate.  You  act  as  though  you  were 
an  old-stager  at  the  game  and  was  going  sure.  But 
I  feel  like  I  was  bound  hand  and  foot  with  these 
fellows  darting  javelins  into  my  skin  every  time  they 
look  at  me;  and  you  know  I  can't  see  Anna  Bell 

Morgan  until "  He  dropped  his  hands  from 

my  shoulders  and  looked  out  of  the  window.  "Per- 
haps I  am  expecting  too  much — you  cleaned  up  that 
Quarry ville  matter  so " 

"But,  Hiram,  this  is  a  big  matter,  reaching  God 
only  knows  how  far.  It  involves  a  number  of  men, 
clever  in  crookedness,  and  perhaps  women.  There's 
more  to  it  than  a  bone-headed,  love-sick  German 
and  a  case  of  dynamite.  The  amounts  involved  are 
big,  and  it  must  move  slowly.  I  know  how  you  feel, 
but  you've  got  to  grin  and  bear  it.  But  about  Anna 
Bell  Morgan,  I  think  you  are  foolish.  If  she  is  the 
kind  of  girl  you  should  marry  she  would  want  very 


150 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

much  to  stand  by  you.  But  if  you  adopt  a  drastic 
code  of  your  own  and  insist  on  living  up  to  it,  how 
can  she  or  any  one  help  you  in  that  respect?" 

"Ben,"  he  began  deliberately,  after  taking  a  chair 
and  cocking  himself  back  against  the  window-sill, 
"I  know  that  Anna  Bell  Morgan  wants  to  help  me. 
I  am  nursing  the  delusion,  perhaps,  that  she  would 
give  one  of  her  hands — make  any  sacrifice — but  I 
don't  believe  a  real  man,  under  similar  circum- 
stances, would  bid  for  help  from  the  woman  whom 
he  really  loves.  If  this  thought  proves  a  delusion 
I  must  stand  it  somehow,  but  I  don't  believe  I  will 
ever  have  faith  in  a  woman  again.  I  am  beginning 
to  see  things  differently  now.  I  can  see  more  and 
more  why  the  Gold-Beater  was  given  that  name  by 
friend  and  enemy.  He  fought  fair  and  in  the  open 
and  took  punishment  without  a  whimper.  Ben,  he 
made  a  mistake  with  me,  but  he  gave  me  a  decent 
sense  of  honor,  and  lately  I  realize  he  has  given  me 
a  good-sized  body  that  will  stand  real  punishment. 
No,  sir,  my  'drastic  code,'  as  you  call  it,  has  got  to 
go.  And  now,  with  that  out  of  my  system,  I  am  go- 
ing to  give  you  a  real  shock." 

Then,  with  exasperating  deliberation,  he  lighted 


151 


his  pipe,  drew  his  feet  up  on  the  lower  front  rungs 
of  his  chair,  meanwhile  watching  me  as  I  walked 
back  and  forth  before  him  intensely  interested. 

"I  am  going  to  quit  the  railroad  and " 

"No,  you  are  not — not  now "  I  warned. 

But  he  interrupted  me  as  I  paused  in  front  of  him, 
pointing  a  finger  at  him,  and  I  soon  saw  that  I  might 
as  well  have  raised  my  arm  to  stay  the  flood  of 
Niagara. 

"I  expected  you  to  protest  until " 

"But  they  will  think " 

"I  don't  care  a  damn  what  they  think  now.  I've 
got  to  do  it  and  you've  got  to  help  me,"  he  said  with 
set  jaw. 

"But  just  now  that  would  be  suicide " 

"No — not  after  I  explain — I  don't  intend  to  run 
away — I  am  going  to  stay  right  here  the  remainder 
of  my  life  if  necessary  and  clear  this  thing  up;  I've 
got  to.  But  I  can't  do  it  working  all  day  until  I'm 
woozy.  Now,  you  have  got  to  help  me." 

"But  I  think  you  are  hasty " 

"You  won't  think  so  after  I  have  stated  my  case. 
I  am  going  to  constitute  you  the  court,  attorney  for 
the  prosecution  and  defense,  and  the  jury;  in  fact, 


152 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

give  you  all  constitutional  rights  except  my  right  of 
appeal;  that  will  enable  a  quick  decision  and  that's 
what  I'm  after  right  now — before  we  go  to  dinner," 
he  ended  with  his  wonderfully  contagious  smile  that 
seemed  impossible  only  a  few  minutes  ago. 

He  continued  to  sit  cocked  back  in  his  chair 
against  the  window-sill  with  his  legs  drawn  up  so- 
his  feet  rested  on  the  lower  rungs,  blowing  smoke 
at  me,  as  I  paced  back  and  forth  before  him  across 
the  room. 

"Well— go  ahead,"  I  said  finally. 

"First  let  me  tell  you  why  you've  got  to  help  me. 
You  have  the  know-how  and  more  general  experi- 
ence, and  can  do  it.  I  take  it  you  are  'in  right'  in 
New  Orleans.  You  can  help  me  when  you  are 
helping  yourself.  I  believe  in  you  thoroughly — ex- 
cept— except  perhaps  when  you  go  off  on  a  little 
tangent,  like  you  did  when  you  put  that  barrel  of 

iron  filings  in  storage,  and  made  me  pay  half " 

He  hesitated,  smiling  broadly.  I  did  not  reply,  and 
he  continued,  "but  even  that  has  its  advantages,  be- 
cause it  makes  me  smile  whenever  I  think  of  it  and 
that's  worth  something.  And  that  brings  me  to  the 
second  reason  why  you  must  help  me.  There  is 


153 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

something  about  your  long  nose  that  seems  to  smell 
out  things  pretty  well,  your  general  attitude  toward 
me  and  everything,  that  awakens  a  sense  of  humor. 
If  they  put  me  in  jail,  and  you  come  to  see  me,  I 
believe  I  could  see  the  humorous  side  of  that,  even. 
Now  do  you  understand?"  he  asked,  relieved  and 
confident. 

"I  am  waiting  to  hear  why  you  propose  to  resign," 
I  insisted,  ignoring  his  complimentary  terms  as 
directed  toward  me. 

"I'll  make  that  short  enough — as  long  as  I  stay 
at  work  there  I  don't  have  time  or  ginger  to  do 
anything  else.  I  believe  that  Becker  is  the  head  of 
the  stealing — I  have  got  several  tips  lately  and  I 
believe  he's  the  man.  Several  train-men,  who 
learned  I  was  in  trouble,  informed  me  that  his  place 
up  the  river  is  queer.  In  ordinary  water  it  is  an 
island,  between  the  track  and  the  river,  the  switch 
running  to  it  over  piles,  and  several  times  when  they 
rode  cars  into  his  unloading  doors  they  have  seen 
things  they  believe  will  bear  investigation.  But  it's 
going  to  be  hard  to  get  into  the  old  fox's  place.  He 
receives  by  rail  from  here  and  the  north,  too,  but 
ships  out  everything  by  an  old  boat  on  the  river." 


154 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Now" — hesitated  Hiram  shrewdly — "that  car 
of  sausage  that  was  short  the  other  night  sat  on 
track  One — exactly  opposite  two  cars  that  were 
loaded  for  him  on  track  Two.  The  space  between 
cars  on  those  two  tracks  is  so  narrow  that  I  was 
nearly  killed  one  day  between  them;  the  time  be- 
tween the  arrival  of  the  sausage  car  and  the  de- 
parture of  his  cars  was  only  a  little  more  than  half 
an  hour,  but  it  was  between  2  130  and  3  130  a.  m., 
when  no  one  was  there,  and  I  believe  the  transfer 
was  made  in  that  time — do  you  follow  me?" 

"Yes — go  ahead.  But  what  about  the  three  seals 
being  intact  when  you  opened  the  car?" 

"I  knew  you  would  ask  that — but  I  believe,  with 
help  from  those  'higher  up,'  and  the  seals  could  be 
had — stolen  of  course.  There  are  two  hard  nuts  to 
crack;  one  is  the  seals,  and  the  other  is  to  get 
into  his  place — and  that's  where  you  must  help." 

"Now  here  is  another  funny  thing."  Hiram  hesi- 
tated to  bring  from  his  hip  pocket  an  envelope. 
"Some  one  who  knew  my  full  name  sent  this  to  me, 
care  of  the  office,"  and  he  read  from  a  typewritten 
slip  of  paper, 


155 


"Why  does  Becker  &  Co.  get  freight  by  rail  and 
ship  out  only  by  water?" 

I  stopped  in  front  of  him  and  reached  for  the 
slip  to  examine  it  critically. 

"Hiram — let  me  keep  this?"  It  looked  like  rail- 
road stationery. 

"Yes — help  yourself." 

"Have  you  any  plan  to  get  into  Becker  &  Co/s 
plant?"  I  asked,  recalling  that  I  had  not  mentioned 
that  I  suspected  them,  and  that  this  was  the  third 
definite  lead  in  that  direction. 

"He  is  a  foxy  old  rat  and  would  take  any  ordi- 
nary bait  off  a  trap  and  send  it  to  you  by  mail. 
The  only  thing  I  can  think  of  is  a  boat — maybe  I 
didn't  tell  you  it  is  a  fertilizer  plant  and  uses  lots 
of  dead  animals.  With  a  boat  to  take  him  some  of 
this  stock,  one  might  finally  get  to  carrying  his 
river  freight  at  a  cut  price  and  that  would  open  the 
door  wide." 

"But  boats  that  will  carry  even  a  little  freight 
are  scarce  now." 

"Yes,  I  know  that — but  we've  got  to  have  a  boat. 
Buy  it,  build  it,  or  dig  one  out  of  the  mud  some- 
where." 


156 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"You  have  made  out  a  pretty  good  case,  Hiram. 
I  will  think  it  over — in  the  meantime  this  may  in- 
terest you,"  I  said,  handing  him  the  telegram  I  had 
received  from  the  chemist.  Though  half  fearing 
it  a  joke,  he  sprang  from  his  chair  and  took  it 
eagerly. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

STANDING  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  Hiram  read 
the  missive  several  times.  He  seemed  amazed  as 
well  as  incredulous.  Finally,  as  he  read  it  with  evi- 
dent desire  to  grasp  its  meaning  thoroughly,  his 
face  lighted  up  with  joy.  "Bully  stuff!"  he  ex- 
claimed. Then  he  read  it  aloud : 

"The  larger  sample  of  color  received.  The  mar- 
ket just  now  is  particularly  bare  of  this  grade.  Can 
get  you  unusual  price  of  a  dollar  a  pound.  If  satis- 
factory ship  Morgan  Line,  send  memo,  of  weight 
and  will  forward  check  at  once. 

"MORGENSTEIN  &  BRUN." 

"Then  it's  not  steel  filings — you  never  told  me," 
he  said  finally,  laughingly  grasping  my  shoulders. 

"You  insisted  it  was  filings,  your  railroad  insisted 
it  was  junk,  and  you  sold  it  for  junk  as  instructed, 
so  why  the  argument?" 

"No  argument  at  all,  Ben;  the  Morgan  Line 
steamer  sails  to-morrow.  Sell  the  stuff  and  buy  a 


158 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

boat.  I've  saved  some  money,  but  boats  are  scarce 
and  high.  I  haven't  enough — what  d'ye  say,  eh?" 

"You  haven't  found  a  boat  to  buy  yet,  and  maybe 
you  will  not  need  one — besides,  if  Morgenstein  & 
Brun  offer  a  dollar  a  pound  and  are  in  a  hurry,  it 
may  be  worth  more — I  only  asked  them  for  an 
analysis  to  know  for  certain  what  it  was.  I  didn't 
ask  for  a  market,"  I  insisted  formally. 

"But  you  may  miss  the  only  chance — and — we 
need  the  money.  We've  got  to  have  a  boat,"  he  said, 
visibly  disappointed. 

"So  far  we  are  out  less  than  a  ten-dollar  bill  and 
can  afford  to  take  a  chance — as  I  say,  we  must  first 
decide  definitely  that  a  boat  is  necessary,  and  then 
the  hardest  part  comes — everything  from  a  row- 
boat  up  is  working  overtime  now." 

"Maybe  you  are  right,  but  if  it  was  up  to  me  I 
would  sell  it  so  infernally  quick  it  would  make  'em 
dizzy,"  he  replied,  manifestly  consumed  with  the 
single  idea  of  releasing  himself  from  suspicion. 

"Don't  resign,  Hiram,"  I  said,  hesitating,  before 
going  out  of  the  room  to  dine,  "until  I  have  had  a 
chance  to  speak  to  the  Super  to-morrow.  I  think 
I  will  be  able  to  arrange  it  so  that  you  can  be  re- 


159 


leased  to  devote  all  of  your  time  to  clearing  up  this 
matter  and  remain  in  the  employ  of  the  company. 
You  will  see  the  decided  advantage  of  the  plan, 
later." 

"All  right,  Ben — but  bear  in  mind  that  as  soon 
as  I  get  out  of  this  I  am  going  to  quit  'em  for 
good;  there's  something  else  for  me  to  do  in  this 
town.  The  railroad  game  is  too  strenuous  at  best 
for  the  returns.  It's  good  drill  and  I'm  glad  to 
get  the  experience  and  discipline,  but  the  returns  are 
a  minus  quantity." 

During  the  meal  he  mentioned  his  father  several 
times,  to  whom  he  always  referred  as  "the  Gold- 
Beater,"  but  he  more  frequently  mentioned  Anna 
Bell  Morgan.  In  fact,  had  I  not  purposely  changed 
the  subject  he  would  have  talked  of  her  constantly. 
I  could  not  tell  him  I  thought  it  a  great  error  for 
him  to  completely  suspend  communication  with  her. 
A  big  city  offers  enticements  that  a  country-bred  girl 
does  not  always  understand  at  first.  I  could  see 
he  writhed  under  the  stigma  of  being  thought  a 
member  of  a  gang  of  crooks,  and  was  most  power- 
fully propelled  by  two  most  laudable  motives.  He 
wanted  to  redeem  himself  in  his  father's  eyes,  but 


160 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

most  compelling  was  his  desire  to  be  able  to  go  back 
to  Anna  Bell  Morgan  with  clean  hands.  His  af- 
fection for  her  was  deep  and  sincere,  a  mighty  thing 
to  him,  accounted  for  in  his  prominent,  broad,  round 
chin,  but  difficult  to  harmonize  with  his  conduct  dur- 
ing his  first  score  of  years. 

He  seemed  to  sense  my  perplexity. 

"Ben,"  he  began,  with  every  evidence  of 
chastened  bigness,  "I  have  been  trying  to  discover 
one  single  good  reason  why  I  should  impose  my 
personal  affairs  on  you,  unless  it  is  because  you  let 
me.  So  far,  I  have  been  unable  to  reciprocate  in  a 
single  instance.  I  feel  at  times  as  though  I  am  a 
great  care  and  trial  to  you — a  responsibility  the 
Gold-Beater  would  assume  if  things  were  right.  I 
feel  as  though  I  were  on  my  way  but  with  some  one 
else  at  the  wheel  and  compass,  with  a  disturbing  and 
perhaps  ungrateful  feeling  that  the  navigator  is  on 
uncharted  waters,  and  is  himself  in  doubt.  I  think 
I  must  have  a  yellow  streak  up  my  back  as  broad 
as  the  moral  law." 

At  this  I  chose  to  assume  a  lighter  attitude.  Scan- 
ning him  smilingly,  I  replied,  "Can't  you  see  that 


161 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

just  now,  at  least,  my  professional  reputation  is  at 
stake?" 

"That's  so,  Ben.  You  take  to  investigation  as  a 
duck  to  water  and  I  believe  you  are  much  better 
suited  for  that  than  sea  life.  But,  my  dear  fellow, 
you  move  so  maddeningly  slow  and  deliberate," 
said  he ;  but  I  made  no  reply.  I  could  have  said : 

"Real  genius  and  cleverness  apparently  do  move 
so  slow  and  deliberate  that  most  any  one  would 
feel  as  though  he  could  do  much  better."  But  I 
merely  laughed  as  we  arose  to  leave  the  little  French 
restaurant  where  we  had  dined. 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  arranging  for  Hirasn's 
release  and  also  for  transportation  good  on  any 
passenger,  freight  or  work  train  of  the  entire  sys- 
tem, in  order  to  work  out  a  solution  of  the  robberies 
that  had  spread  over  the  entire  system  from  Kan- 
sas City  and  St.  Louis  to  Chicago,  where  the  con- 
signments originated. 

His  first  suggestion  was  that  he  should  take  a 
look  at  Becker  &  Co.'s  plant,  and  he  purposely 
boarded  a  train  that  had  a  car  for  delivery  to  them. 

After  he  left  I  went  to  my  office  in  the  main 
building  to  find  both  an  extended  report  and  a  short 


162 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

one  from  a  man  assigned  to  watch  Becker's  move- 
ments while  in  New  Orleans,  and  as  I  began  to 
read  I  could  feel  my  hair  rigidly  standing  on  end. 

My  clerk,  Miss  Bascom,  had  met  Becker  in  a 
private  room,  known  to  but  few,  back  of  the  bar 
of  a  prominent  hotel.  For  the  purpose  of  detecting 
enemy  aliens  many  dictaphones  had  been  installed 
by  the  Government  in  such  places  and  with  a  cer- 
tainty, almost  uncanny,  the  Government  possessed 
itself  of  information  that  could  not  have  been  gained 
in  any  other  way. 

As  soon  as  I  reached  Miss  Bascom's  name  in  the 
report  I  stopped  short  and  looked  at  her  at  work 
over  by  the  window,  less  than  twenty  feet  away. 
If  she  was  conscious  of  my  undisguised  wonder  she 
gave  no  sign  of  it.  She  worked  so  fast  and  dexter- 
ously as  to  give  the  impression  that  she  fully  lived 
up  to  the  axiom  promulgated  by  well  governed  cor- 
porations : 

"If  you  never  do  more  than  you  are  paid  for,  you 
will  never  get  paid  for  more  than  you  da" 

As  I  looked  upon  her  I  decided  that  although 
Becker  was  exceedingly  ambitious,  his  taste  was  dis- 


163 


criminating,  indeed.  Miss  Bascom  in  a  good  light 
revealed  a  velvety  skin  and  a  neck,  rising  column- 
like  from  her  plump  chest  and  shoulders  as  though 
chiseled  from  rare  white  marble.  A  tiny  ear 
peeped  from  under  a  plethora  of  wonderful  hair, 
tastefully  arranged,  and  I  noticed  that  her  nose, 
chin  and  lips  were  perfect.  I  wondered  why  I  had 
overlooked  these  points  of  feminine  charm  when 
she  first  came  to  me.  Seemingly  oblivious  to  every- 
thing but  the  work  she  was  doing,  I  wondered  how 
she  could  maintain  the  attitude  after  such  an  affair 
as  had  occurred  the  night  before.  There  was  no 
evidence  of  fatigue  or  loss  of  sleep,  or  over-indul- 
gence of  any  kind.  I  was  astounded  that  a  woman 
of  her  general  charm  could  fall  for  the  Becker  type, 
and  I  shuddered  at  the  knowledge  that  she  had 
gone  with  him  to  such  a  place.  My  next  thought 
was  that  she  might  have  given  out  some  very  con- 
fidential information.  There  was  but  one  thing  to 
do,  and  at  once — find  out  how  she  came  to  be  sent 
to  me. 

I  rushed  through  the  several  pages  of  close  typ- 
ing, then  began  again  for  detail  and  analysis. 

She    drank    nothing    intoxicating    according    to 


164 


the  report.  His  brutal  proposal,  that  came  in  due 
course,  she  met  with  astonishing  diplomacy  and 
succeeded  in  staving  off  time  and  place.  But  the 
details,  recorded  minutely,  indicated  that  she  was 
compelled  to  submit  to  his  embrace.  The  record 
revealed  that  the  young  woman  had  exclaimed, 
"Don't — don't,  Mr.  Becker,"  indicating  that  the 
fossilized  degenerate  of  fifty  years  was  trying  to 
caress  her.  It  required  little  tax  on  the  imagina- 
tion to  know  that  his  big,  greasy  hands  were  draw- 
ing her  tightly  to  his  huge  frame.  Why  had  she 
laid  herself  liable  to  his  advances?  What  kind  of  a 
game  was  she  playing?  I  was  on  the  point  of  call- 
ing her  over  and  demanding  an  explanation,  but 
there  was  the  second  report  to  analyze — concern- 
ing Burrell,  the  chief  clerk.  I  decided  to  wait. 

When  Miss  Bascom  left  Becker  the  night  before 
at  the  side  door  of  the  hotel,  he  entered  the  lobby 
and  joined  Burrell  in  a  pretty  wet  dinner,  spending 
several  hours  thereafter  at  a  questionable  resort. 
Evidently  Miss  Bascom  knew  something  of  their 
whereabouts,  for  here  she  was  standing  at  Burrell's 
desk  in  close  conversation  with  him,  occasionally 


165 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

laughing  as  though  recalling  some  ludicrous  incident. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  await  events.  She  was 
up  to  something  and  I  determined  I  would  lose  no 
time  in  arriving  at  the  facts. 


166 


CHAPTER  XVII 

WHEN  Hiram  returned  late  that  night  he  looked 
as  disreputable  as  a  bull  dog  that  had  been  out  all 
night  in  the  rain  and  mud,  defending  his  title  as 
a  neighborhood  boss.  He  had  evidenced  some  clev- 
erness in  preparing  for  such  a  trip,  but  when  he 
got  through  he  looked  as  though  he  had  overdone 
it.  An  unbecoming  cap  of  Bolshevik  origin,  nine 
cents  pre-war  push-cart  cost,  flannel  shirt,  open  at 
the  neck,  and  covered  with  mud  from  head  to  foot, 
he  reminded  me  of  a  smuggler  or  bootlegger  who 
had  taken  to  the  swamps  to  avoid  capture.  But 
his  enthusiasm  seemed  to  blind  him  to  his  appear- 
ance and  to  the  fact  that  he  had  not  eaten  since 
morning. 

"Well,"  he  began,  "I  believe  I  am  right — not  so 
much  on  account  of  what  I  saw  to-day,  but  of  what 
I  didn't  see." 

"Yep,"  said  I.    "Go  on  with  it." 

"Their  plant  is  on  an  island  except  at  very  low 
stages  of  the  river  and  then  it's  swamp  on  one  side. 


167 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

It  is  a  big  place  but  mostly  one-story.  Their  switch, 
of  course,  is  on  a  trestle  built  by  them,  and  some 
one  has  to  come  out  and  unlock  a  high  gate  before 
a  car  can  be  set  in.  The  man  at  the  gate  stated  that 
they  do  this  so  that  there  will  always  be  a  man 
there  to  warn  the  train  crew  that  the  trestle  is  not 
strong  enough  to  support  the  engine."  He  looked 
at  me  somewhat  knowingly  while  filling  his  pipe. 

"Well,  I  went  inside  on  the  car  we  had  for  them 
and  saw  all  there  was  to  see — which  wasn't  much. 
Their  black  help  live  in  cabins  on  the  island.  Becker 
is  building  a  big  addition — the  car  we  set  in  con- 
tained cement  for  that  purpose,  presumably.  All  of 
the  train-men  believe  that  the  place  is  phony. 

"We  saw  a  packet  coming  down  the  river  and 
the  train  boy  slowed  up  a  trifle  to  let  me  off  near 
a  landing,  but  I  made  a  bad  jump,  rolled  over  twice 
in  soft  mud  and  came  out  like  a  cray-fish,  but  I 
made  the  packet  coming  to  town  and  just  arrived." 

"Fine,  go  on,"  I  encouraged. 

"The  fertilizer  plant  shows  nothing  from  the 
river  but  a  floating  wharf.  On  the  way  down  we 
passed  Becker's  boat  going  up.  It  isn't  much  of  a 
craft,  and  the  packet  captain  said  it  wouldn't  carry 


168 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

five  tons  and  has  hardly  power  enough  to  beat  the 
five-mile  current  of  the  river,  even  when  empty.  A 
boat,  Ben ! — a  boat  is  all  we  need  to  catch  that  fel- 
low, and  he's  the  boy  we're  after.  If  some  one 
would  offer  to  carry  all  the  material  he  will  need 
for  that  new  construction  he  will  fall  for  it — and 
say,  I  believe  I  am  on  track  of  one." 

"But  you  are  not  sure  of  anything  yet." 

"Yes — I  am  sure  they  got  the  two  refrigerator 
cars  that  sat  alongside  the  car  that  was  robbed  of 
fifteen  tons  of  sausage,  and  that  they  use  anything 
that  contains  grease.  Of  that  I  am  as  certain  as 
any  one  can  be  without  being  able  to  prove  it,  and 
we've  got  to  get  him,  and  we  can't  get  him  until 
we  get  inside  of  the  plant,"  he  insisted,  his  jaws 
coming  together  with  a  snap. 

"He  has  a  regular  castle — moat  and  all,"  Hiram 
continued,  "and  we  can't  storm  it.  His  people  are 
all  black  and  speak  only  Creole." 

"What  about  this  boat  you  are  on  track  of — but 
wait,  Hiram,  don't  you  want  something  to  eat  ?" 

"Yes,  I'm  hungry  as  a  wolf.  I've  seen  the  time 
I  would  give  ten  dollars  for  the  appetite  I  now 
have — but  wait  till  I  tell  you  about  the  boat.  For 


169 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

some  time  past  there  has  been  an  old  fellow  coming 
down  to  the  wharf  to  pick  up  bananas,  those  that 
break  from  the  bunches  when  they  come  out  of  a 
ship  on  the  carriers.  After  a  while  I  noticed  that 
he  talked  good  English,  Creole,  Spanish,  French,  in 
fact  he  seemed  to  be  able  to  talk  with  almost  any 
of  the  rats  that  work  on  the  fruit  steamers.  After 
I  had  talked  with  him  I  asked  what  he  did  with  the 
bananas.  He  said  he  kept  them  until  ripe  and  ate 
them.  Later  he  told  me  he  lived  on  a  boat  as  care- 
taker and  had  not  seen  his  boss  lately.  Evidently 
he  has  run  out  of  money.  He  hinted  that  if  he 
could  get  his  back  wages  he  did  not  care  what  be- 
came of  the  boat.  I  saw  him  again  to-day  and  he 
says  he  has  starved  long  enough,  and  I  am  going 
to  see  the  boat  in  the  morning.  It  is  not  in  the 
river,  but  is  in  the  canal  just  above  the  Yazoo  sta- 
tion. And  say,  I've  got  another  scheme  to 
make  all  the  money  we  want  after  this  matter  is 
settled,"  said  he,  coming  to  his  feet  as  though  un- 
loosed by  a  steel  spring. 

"What  is  it,  Hiram?"  I  asked,  amused. 

"Wait  until  I  clean  up  a  bit.  Then  I  want  you 
to  come  out  with  me  and  watch  a  real  hungry  man 


170 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

eat.  I  have  a  long  story,  and  a  good  scheme.  Your 
blood  will  be  on  my  hands  if  you  say  it  isn't.  How 
much  is  a  thousand  feet  of  lumber?"  he  called  to 
me  through  the  communicating  door,  just  after  I 
heard  his  wet,  muddy  shoes  go  down  like  a  cord  of 
wood  on  the  floor. 

"A  thousand  feet  of  lumber  is  a  thousand  square 
feet  an  inch  thick.  In  boards  a  foot  wide  and  an 
inch  thick  they  would  reach  a  thousand  feet,"  I 
explained. 

"That's  what  I  thought,  but  I  can't  recall  ever 
having  been  told." 

After  seating  ourselves  in  the  restaurant,  Hiram, 
his  mind  filled  with  many  notions,  began  to  talk. 

"I  never  see  a  cargo  of  lumber  go  by  that  I  don't 
think  of  it  as  something  immensely  valuable.  I 
don't  understand  it,  unless — well — of  course,  I  can't 
figure  out  who  is  to  blame,  but  do  you  realize  I 
actually  don't  know  what  business  my — I  mean  the 
Gold-Beater — is  in  ?  I  never  knew  whether  he  ran 
a  pawn-shop,  a  gambling-house,  or  a  real  business ; 
my  knowledge  of  his  activities  is  limited  to  a  vague 
impression  I  have,  an  indistinct  memory  of  hear- 
ing him  talk  one  night  at  our  house  with  some  man 


171 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

— and  he  was  some  man,  too,  if  the  Gold-Beater 
brought  him  home — about  stumpage,  stump  land 
and  market  conditions.  I  don't  recall  much,  for 
then  I  was  about  as  much  interested  in  it  as  I  would 
now  be  in  a  divinity  student's  theory  on  Heaven 
and  the  other  place. 

"I  don't  know  whether  it's  in  my  blood,  but  any- 
how, a  nice,  newly  sawed,  clean  board  of  timber 
looks  better  to  me  than  anything — excejrt  a  certain 
girl.  I  figured  it  out  to-day,  that  she  is  the  only 
one  I  don't  want  to  disgrace.  The  Gold-Beater  has 
nothing  better  coming  to  him — if  I  have  to  go  to 
jail  in  the  clean-up  of  this  gang " 

"Come  to  the  point,  Hiram.  You're  wandering 
all  around  Robin  Hood's  barn,"  said  I  laughingly. 

"I  know  I'm  long-winded,  Ben,  but  I've  got  to 
speak  my  prologue,  or  you  won't  understand.  You 
know  I  have  stood  on  the  dock  day  after  day  and 
have  seen  the  river  carry  down  big  trees  and  big 
logs,  some  real  saw-logs,  some  days  lots  of  them, 
and  to-day,  up  the  river,  I  saw  a  great  many  float- 
ing along  down  stream.  Some  of  the  bayous  are 
full  of  them.  There's  a  mass  of  logs  in  that  moat 
back  of  Becker's  smell  factory." 


172 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Well, — what  is  the  answer?"  I  asked  languidly. 

"Here's  what  I  propose:  Arrest  these  fugitive 
logs,  cut  'em  into  lumber  and  put  'em  to  work.  I 
saw  logs  up  the  river  that  will  make  a  thousand  feet 
of  lumber  and  they  tell  me  even  rough  lumber  is 
worth  fifty  dollars  a  thousand.  It  won't  take  many 
of  them  to  amount  to  the  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  per  that  I'm  pulling  down  monthly  from  the 
railroad — eh?  You  know,  just  as  soon  as  I  get 
out  of  this  I'm  going  to  marry,  and " 

"But  they  tell  me  those  logs  have  been  in  the 
water  so  long  they  are  dead  sea  fruit,  rotten  in  the 
center?"  I  interposed. 

"I  noticed  that  in  some  of  them,  but  many  are 
first  class — you  watch  me  after  I  get  out.  Do 
you  know,  I  feel  sure  this  river  is  going  to  make 
me  some  money.  I'm  going  to  be  out  to-night, 
down  on  the  wharf.  The  packet  men  say  that 
Becker's  old  tub,  the  one  we  met  going  up  this 
afternoon, — called  the  Turgia — and  she  is  well 
named — goes  up  there  every  afternoon  and  brings 
down  a  load  in  the  night.  I've  got  to  find  out  where 
she  lands  and  what  she  brings  down.  I  forgot  to 
tell  you  he  gets  dead  animals  from  the  city,  in 


173 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

barges,  and  has  to  hire  a  tug  to  take  them  up.  A 
good  chance  for  a  deal  there,  if  we  have  a  boat  big 
enough  to  do  his  work,  don't  you  think  so?"  he 
asked,  pausing  from  his  food. 

"He  seems  to  have  an  eye  for  bargains — why  not 
in  towing?"  I  agreed,  much  impressed  with  his  de- 
termination, amounting  to  a  mania. 

"Now,  there  is  another  thing,  Ben.  Suppose  this 
old  half-starved  geezer's  story  is  right,  and  they  owe 
him  a  lot  of  wages,  and  the  boat  is  something  we 
can  use,  isn't  there  some  quick,  legal  way  in  which 
we  can  get  possession  of  it?" 

"He  would  be  classed  as  a  seaman,  with  wages 
due,  and  I  think  there  is  a  Federal  statute  to  reach 
such  a  case  quickly — I  will  find  out,  Hiram." 

"Do  that,  Ben,  and  if  I  don't  show  up  in  the 
morning  you  will  know  I  got  knocked  in  the  head 
by  the  water-front  gang,  but  I'm  going  to  see  what 
Becker  sends  down  here  in  the  night,  or  die  in  the 
attempt." 


174 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

I  HAD  to  be  up  that  night  too,  and  I  had  not  been 
in  long  before  he  arrived — just  before  daylight. 

"Ben — Ben,  awake,  and  get  up !  I've  got  it — I've 
got  it — see  here!"  he  persisted,  holding  a  piece  of 
cardboard  before  my  eyes  now  dazzled  by  the  sud- 
den light.  "Do  you  know  what  that  is?"  he  roared, 
standing  on  tiptoes  while  I  gazed  at  it.  He  was 
more  energetic  and  enthusiastic  than  the  night  be- 
fore, although  he  had  not  been  to  bed.  His  eyes 
appeared  to  be  a  bit  bloodshot.  ' 

Raising  up  in  bed,  I  took  the  piece  of  cardboard 
and  sat  blinking  at  it  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  Hiram 
lost  patience. 

"Damn  it,  Ben,  can't  you  see  what  it  is  ? — that's  a 
piece  of  a  ten-pound  sausage  carton,  and  it  came 
from  Becker's  place.  Now  then,  we've  got  'em," 
he  said  with  suppressed  voice.  What  he  handed 
me  was  unquestionably  a  part  of  a  folding  box,  one 
of  the  corner  locks,  and  a  part  of  the  end  on  which 
there  was  tell-tale  printing. 


175 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"You  see,  this  sausage  that  was  stolen  was  in  ten- 
pound  boxes,  and  this  is  part  of  one  of  them,"  he 
insisted. 

"Where  did  you  get  this,  Hiram  ?"  I  finally  man- 
aged to  ask. 

"I  had  to  lie  on  one  of  the  wharfs  upstream  un- 
til after  midnight  when  Becker's  Turgid  came  slip- 
ping down  the  current,  like  a  thief,  and  I  had  to  leg 
it  hard  to  keep  up  with  her.  About  a  mile  below 
she  slid  in  alongside  a  Mexican,  bound  for  Vera 
Cruz,  unloaded  a  hundred  and  fifteen  tubs  of  some- 
thing— it  went  down  on  the  manifest  as  lard,  and 
I  guess  it  was  grease,  anyhow.  On  her  deck  there 
still  remained  five  bales  of  something.  I  wanted  to 
know  what  it  was.  The  Turgla  then  slid  down- 
stream to  the  Southern  Pacific  docks  and  unloaded 
there.  They  billed  five  bales  of  waste  paper  to 
New  York.  Yes,  I  got  the  name  of  the  consignee 
— Cassinis  &  Cassinis,  Water  Street — but  I  won- 
dered how  Becker  collected  waste  paper  up  there 
in  that  swamp  and  I  didn't  believe  it  was  waste 
paper.  It  was  covered  with  burlap  and  baled  tight. 

"Do  you  see  what  this  crafty  old  crook  has  done? 
He  took  the  sausage  out  of  the  folding  boxes,  which 


176 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

he  laid  out  flat,  then  baled  them  carefully  and  is 
shipping  them  to  New  York  to  get  the  best  price 
and  put  such  evidence  clear  out  of  the  way.  Well, 
it  cost  me  I  don't  know  how  many  drinks  of  water- 
front whiskey  to  get  those  watchmen  in  condition — 
there  were  two  of  them — before  I  could  dig  into 
one  of  the  bales  for  a  sample.  I  know  it  was  tough 
on  the  watchmen,  but  there  you  are,  and  as  sure  as 
shooting  Becker  &  Co.  got  the  stolen  sausages  and 
we've  got  to  get  Becker  before  he  has  a  chance  to 
try  to  hang  it  on  me,  or  some  other  boob  clerk. 

"Ben,  are  you  awake  ?  do  you  understand  what  I 
am  saying?"  he  asked,  giving  my  shoulder  a  tap 
that  made  me  sway  as  though  kicked  by  a  mule. 

"Yes,  Hiram,  I  understand.  Was  there  a  South- 
ern Pacific  ship  at  the  dock?"  I  asked,  rubbing  my 
shoulder. 

"No — the  next  ship  is  due  to-morrow,  and  they're 
always  late  now." 

"I  believe  you  have  something  really  tangible. 
I'll  stop  that  shipment  this  morning,  but  you'd  bet- 
ter get  to  bed.  And,"  I  hastily  added,  "we  must 
have  more  than  empty  sausage  cartons  to  make  a 
case  against  him." 


177 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"I  know  that,  and  there  is  nothing  doing  in  the 
way  of  sleep  for  me  now.  The  old  man  is  down  at 
a  rummy,  waiting  to  take  me  up  to  the  canal  to  see 
that  boat.  If  the  boat  looks  good  to  me,  will  you 
come  and  look  it  over?"  he  asked,  getting  up  and 
walking  the  floor  like  a  caged  lion. 

"Yes — meet  me  here  at  noon,  and  in  the  mean- 
time I'll  try  to  learn  something  about  the  mat- 
ter  "  But  before  I  had  time  to  finish  he  was  out 

of  the  room,  going  downstairs  two  steps  at  a  time. 

When  I  told  Superintendent  Kitchell  that  morn- 
ing in  his  office  as  much  as  I  thought  good  for  him 
to  know  at  that  time,  and  especially  about  Hiram's 
plans  and  what  he  had  already  accomplished,  his 
face  began  to  glow,  and  he  otherwise  evidenced  in- 
tense interest. 

"Taylor,"  he  began,  without  any  attempt  now  at 
inscrutability,  "I  would  give  ten  years  of  my  life 
to  have  that  robbery  matter  ferreted  out  quickly. 
All  the  other  division  superintendents  on  the  sys- 
tem are  laughing  at  me  and  the  General  Super  and 
President  are  raising  Hell.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
boy's  theory  as  to  how  to  round  up  the  gang  is 
good,  and  I  will  help  you  all  I  possibly  can.  I've 


178 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

looked  at  Becker's  plant  several  times  while  passing 
and  I  think  the  boy  is  right.  You  can't  really  get 
the  goods  on  him  without  getting  into  his  plant,  and 
that  must  be  done  by  starting  some  kind  of  trade. 
Do  you  think  he  has  any  chance  of  getting  a  boat?" 

"He  will,  or  rather  may  have,  something  defi- 
nite about  that  before  night." 

"I  wonder "  hesitated  the  man  of  many  trou- 
bles; "when  I  was  up  in  Memphis  the  other  day  I 
met  the  man  in  charge  of  the  Illinois  division.  He 
happened  to  mention  that  the  state  was  killing  whole 
herds  of  tubercular-infected  cattle  there.  I  wonder 
if  I  couldn't  get  a  few  carloads  sent  here  and  let  the 
boy — Strong,  did  you  say  his  name  was? — get  in 
by  boating  them  up  to  him — but  you  are  not  sure 
of  obtaining  a  boat?" 

"I  feel  sure  we  can  get  some  kind  of  a  boat." 

"Here  is  something — Ever  since  we  entered 
the  war  Central  and  South  America  have  been 
revolution  incubators,  especially  for  Mexico. 
Some  never  hatch  but  die  in  the  shell,  others 
hatch  but  die  before  they  can  walk,  then  once  in  a 
while,  out  of  the  great  number  one  of  them  grows 
big  enough  to  buy  all  sorts  of  ridiculous  stuff  they 


179 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

think  they  need  or  want,  and  ship  it  down  here. 
Then  they  get  shot,  macheted,  put  in  prison  or 
exiled,  and  a  lot  of  this  stuff  is  never  claimed,  so  we 
have  to  sell  it  for  freight  charges.  We've  got  a 
whole  warehouse  of  that  kind  of  junk  we  should 
have  disposed  of  long  ago.  Go  down  and  look  it 
over — anything  you  can  use  I  will  see  that  you  get 
it  pronto.  We've  had  about  everything  except  in- 
dustry, virtue  and  honesty." 

"Wire  the  Illinois  division  regarding  the  slaugh- 
tered cattle,  and  I  will  look  over  your  unclaimed 
freight.  I  may  find  something " 

"And  do  you  think,"  he  interrupted,  sore  to  the 
bone  at  the  thought,  "that  it  involves  any  one  in 
the  offices?" 

I  hesitated,  recalling  that  I  had  not  mentioned 
either  Chief  Clerk  Burrell  or  Miss  Bascom,  or  their 
conversations  with  Becker.  "Yes — Becker  couldn't 
work  without  some  one  to  give  him  information 
about  arrivals  and  keep  him  posted  at  the  river." 

"Rotten— rotten !"  he  exploded;  "just  think  of 
it,  a  mess  like  this  putrefying  right  under  our  noses 
and  we  don't  get  wise  until  they  smell  it  in  Kan- 
sas City  and  Chicago.  And  now,  Ben  Taylor,  while 


180 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

/ 

I  feel  sure  you  are  on  the  right  track  at  last,  and 
are  going  to  make  good,  you  seem  to  be  moving  so 
maddeningly  slow  and  deliberate."  He  said  this 
with  a  deep  sigh  from  the  depths  of  his  waistband, 
his  chubby  hand  fingering  a  number  of  yellow  slips 
used  for  official  railroad  messages  and  reminding 
me  of  the  mysterious  one  sent  to  Hiram  about 
Becker  &  Co.  receiving  freight  by  rail,  but  inva- 
riably shipping  out  by  water. 

"But,  Mr.  Kitchell,  haste  in  this  matter  will  be 
fatal  to  final  results,"  I  said  casually. 

"Yes,  perhaps — at  any  rate  I  hope  that's  so,  but 
I'm  so  damnably  worked  up  over  this  matter  that  I 
am  about  wild.  Then  another  thing,  I  don't  quite 
understand  why  you  have  so  much  confidence  in 
this  young  Strong,  though  I'll  admit  he  shows  good 
mettle.  I  recall  at  our  first  interview  you  said  he 
was  well  connected  in  the  North?"  said  he,  still 
glancing  nervously  over  the  messages  on  his  desk. 

"Hiram  Strong  is  well  connected.  He  has  in- 
herited a  great  pride  and  along  with  it  what  seems 
to  be  honor.  He  feels  keenly  the  onus  cast  upon 
him  in  this  matter,  but  has  withal  a  saving  sense  of 
humor.  He  is  working  out  his  own  salvation  and 


181 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

feels  he  is  heading  off  an  attempt  to  make  him  the 
goat — to  him  it  is  simply  a  matter  of  keeping  out 
of  jail.  He  has,  I  believe,  demonstrated  that  he 
can  do  head  work  as  well  as  leg  work,  and  I  feel 
like  giving  him  room  to  turn  around,"  I  insisted, 
perhaps  too  testily. 

"I  wonder  if  he  is  kin  of  this  man  Hiram  Strong, 
who  was  reported  this  morning  as  corning  in  on  our 
system  at  Chicago  in  his  private  car.  Do  you  know, 
Taylor,  I  wish  every  private  car  was  in  hell — as 
though  we  didn't  have  enough  trouble  already !  Our 
passenger  engines  are  loaded  with  every  pound  they 
can  keep  rolling  and  every  once  in  a  while  we  get  a 
private  car  of  some  millionaire  pork-sticker  or 
quick-rich,  who  wants  to  come  down  here  to  shoot 
ducks  or  some  other  fool  thing.  Do  you  think  it 
is  the  same  man?"  he  demanded. 

"It  might  be." 

"Do  you  suppose  the  boy  has  got  word  to  him, 
and  he  is  coming  down  here  to  raise  the  devil  ?"  he 
asked,  eyeing  me  as  though  I  might  have  something 
to  do  with  it. 

"As  I  understand  it,  from  the  boy,  he  was  thrown 
out  entirely  on  his  own  resources — disinherited — 


182 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

and  as  far  as  appearances  go,  is  completely  es- 
tranged from  his  father." 

"Well,  by  Heaven,  if  he  shows  up  here  with  a 
chip  on  his  shoulder,  I'm  going  to  turn  him  over  to 
you — do  you  understand? — I'll  turn  him  over  to 
you.  You  know  all  about  it,  and  I've  had  a  stom- 
achful  of  educating  rich  men's  sons,  and  all  the  other 
troubles  I  want,"  he  insisted,  disgustedly,  as  I  start- 
ed to  go  to  my  office. 

"I  will  be  glad  to  do  all  I  can  for  you,  Mr. 
Kitchell.  Let  me  know  as  far  as  possible  in  ad- 
vance." 

"I  can  tell  you  that  right  now.  He  is  hooked  to 
Number  Seven,  and  is  due  here  to-morrow  at  n  115, 
unless  his  old  special  car  makes  her  late." 


183 


So  far  I  had  regarded  Miss  Bascom  as  one  of 
the  hundreds  of  others  that  just  chanced  to  take  the 
place  of  the  men  who  had  been  drafted  from  the 
railroad  employees.  They  came  from  everywhere, 
cities,  villages  and  rural  districts,  and  substitutes 
for  man-power  were  in  such  demand  that  "no  ques- 
tions" was  the  rule;  no  disposition  to  "look  a  gift 
horse  in  the  mouth"  or  even  to  see  if  they  had  a 
spavin,  ringbone,  or  inflicted  with  "string  halt." 

Very  likely  she  may  have  written  the  anonymous 
suggestion  to  Hiram.  I  did  know  that  she  entered 
the  back  room  of  a  hotel  with  Becker  and  had  re- 
ceived his  embraces  and  proposals,  which  would 
surely  shock  a  maiden's  ears,  but  admittedly  she  did 
not  drink,  and  she  had  acted  with  singular  astute- 
ness. 

I  knew  she  was  flirting  with  Burrell,  the  chief 
clerk,  and  that  Becker  and  Burrell  frequented  low 
places  together.  Altogether  it  looked  as  though  she 
was  playing  a  double  role  and  I  was  not  at  all  sure 


184 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

just  where  I  fitted  into  the  planning  going  on  in  her 
head,  although  I'll  admit  the  latter  was  very  at- 
tractive. 

At  once  I  decided  to  put  her  to  a  test  that  would 
make  each  blonde  hair  stand  without  support,  and 
the  opportunity  came  sooner  than  I  expected. 

As  the  warehouse  to  which  Superintendent 
Kitchell  referred  was  not  far  away,  I  went  there 
before  keeping  my  noon  appointment  with  Hiram. 
It  was,  as  he  said,  a  veritable  graveyard  of  disap- 
pointed hopes  and  plans  gone  wrong — bleached, 
grinning  skeletons  of  blue-sky  finance  and  religio- 
political  scheming  reduced  to  the  irreducible.  They 
couldn't  even  pay  the  freight  to  New  Orleans,  not 
to  mention  their  Gulf  and  Caribbean  destinations. 

Shippers  always  receive  money  in  advance  for 
antiquated  or  experimental  devices  from  their 
"bone-yard"  and  therefore  they  had  no  further  in- 
terest. Cannon,  more  deadly  at  the  breech,  airships 
that  would  do  everything  but  fly,  rifles  rejected  by 
shop  inspectors,  cartridges  that  wouldn't  explode, 
and  so  on.  Threshing  machines  and  engines,  saw- 
mills and  agricultural  implements,  cases  of  rifles 
and  cartridges  and  other  war-like  material  in  as- 


185 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

tonishing  abundance — but  nothing  apparently  for 
our  purpose.  I  did  observe  a  big  case  made  of  two- 
inch  lumber,  heavily  iron-bound,  that  might  con- 
tain an  engine  or  motor,  but  I  needed  help  to  reach 
it 

When  Hiram  returned  to  the  room,  a  little  ahead 
of  time,  his  pep  and  ginger  seemed  to  have  been 
largely  augmented.  His  energy  appeared  to  have 
no  limit,  but  with  it  all  there  was  a  shade  of  disap- 
pointment, or  apprehension.  He  began  at  once 
about  the  boat. 

"Fearsome  is  her  name,"  said  he.  "She  is  just 
what  we  want,  a  dandy  for  our  purpose,  but  I'm 
afraid  she's  too  big.  While  fitted  with  a  propeller 
and  rudder,  and  steers  from  a  chicken-coop  up  front, 
she  has  no  power.  But  she's  a  peach  for  size  and 
width!"  he  exclaimed,  with  breath  no  faster  from 
running  up  the  stairs  three  steps  at  a  time.  "How 
the  devil  are  we  going  to  get  something  to  make  her 
go?"  he  added,  sitting  down  in  front  of  me,  holding 
his  left  knee  between  his  hands,  and  looking  appeal- 
ingly  at  me. 

"How  big  a  boat  is  it?"  I  asked,  suppressing  my 
amusement. 


186 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"About  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  twenty 
five  or  thirty  beam.  Not  deep  in  the  water,  but  she 
draws  enough.  She  looks  like  an  overgrown  canal 
boat.  But  I  brought  the  captain  along;  he  can 
tell  you  more;  do  you  want  to  see  him?  It's  only 
a  matter  of  getting  power  into  her." 

"How  much  will  it  cost  to  get  possession  of  her?" 

"Well,  that  is  another  thing — the  captain  says 
that  it's  to  be  auctioned  for  the  crew's  wages.  He 
hints  that  the  owners  may  have  gone  to  jail,  or 
back  to  the  mountains  to  resume  their  legitimate 
business  as  highwaymen." 

"Who  is  the  captain  you  refer  to?" 

"Captain  Marianna — I  told  you  about  him.  He's 
the  caretaker,  and  has  been  living  on  her — starved 
out,  is  an  Italian,  has  a  shipmaster's  license  from  the 
Government.  He  has  it  hanging  in  the  boat.  I'm 
sure  he  will  stay  with  us  if  we  want  him.  He  is 
downstairs  now — want  to  see  him?"  Then,  coming 
toward  me,  he  asked"  in  an  earnest  undertone,  "Can 
we  raise  the  money  to  put  some  kind  of  power  in 
her?  I  can  root  out  the  Becker  crowd,  clean  my 
slate  and  then  make  a  fortune  with  her  if  we  can," 
he  insisted  with  fierce  determination. 


187 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"When  is  it  to  be  sold  ?"  I  queried. 

"The  time  is  up  now — I'd  say  to-morrow  or  next 
day." 

"I  don't  know,  Hiram,  it  will  be  a  pretty  big 
lump  to  swallow.  We  don't  know  how  high  they 
will  bid  it  up,  but  perhaps,  with  luck,  we  can  man- 
age it."  I  knew  he  was  thinking  of  Anna  Bell  Mor- 
gan, and,  as  a  close  second,  the  Gold-Beater. 

The  captain  was  undoubtedly  an  old  salt,  past 
middle  age,  looked  dependable,  repeated  the  same 
story  about  the  boat,  but  not  within  Hiram's  hear- 
ing would  he  tell  from  whence  it  came,  or  how,  or 
why  they  brought  it  through  the  canal  instead  of 
up  the  river,  the  usual  way  of  getting  into  New 
Orleans.  However,  I  was  doubtful  about  power. 

As  soon  as  the  captain  had  gone  we  started  for 
the  unclaimed  freight  warehouse  to  investigate  fur- 
ther. While  we  were  on  the  way  Hiram  caught  me 
by  the  arm  and,  bringing  his  face  nearly  in  front  of 
mine,  half  whispered : 

"Ben,  I  have  some  money — I  did  not  spend  all 
the  Gold-Beater  gave  me  as  my  last  dot.  I've 
got  the  money  we  pried  from  the  old  captain 
who  was  going  to  drown  us,  and  I  have  saved  my 


188 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

wages,  but  the  heck  of  it  is  to  get  some  kind  of 
power.  No  one  will  pay  much  for  the  boat.  How 
about  selling  that  barrel  ?  The  last  offer  was  some- 
thing like  seven  hundred  dollars,  wasn't  it?"  His 
tone  was  of  the  wheedling  variety. 

"Perhaps  I  had  forgotten  to  tell  you,  Hiram,  that 
I  have  had  some  favorable  news  about  that  barrel  of 
steel-filings,"  said  I,  at  the  same  time  giving  him  a 
gentle  nudge.  "But  as  soon  as  I  can  get  in  touch 
with  the  right  market  I  expect  to  get  a  much  better 
offer.  I  don't  want  to  sell  that  just  now,  but  I, 
too,  have  saved  a  little  money  we  can  use  if  neces- 
sary." I  then  explained  the  possibility  of  finding 
something  in  the  way  of  a  motor  in  the  warehouse 
for  which  we  were  then  bound,  and  if  so,  no  im- 
mediate outlay  would  be  necessary,  but  of  course 
that  was  only  a  chance,  and  besides,  we  were  not 
sure  some  fool  would  not  bid  it  well  up. 

"I  don't  care  how  fast  it  goes,  just  so  it  can  beat 
the  river  current,"  he  urged.  "Oh,  she  looks  tough. 
No  one  will  bid  much,  that's  certain." 

"Have  you  figured  on  the  fact  that  this  boat  is  in 
the  canal,  and  while  only  a  mile  from  the  river, 
you  must  go  a  long  way  by  water  to  get  there  ?" 


189 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Yes,  I  know  it  is  two  hundred  miles  or  more, 
clear  out  through  the  Mississippi  and  Chandeleur 
Sound,  but  that  won't  take  long  if  she  can  move  at 
all,"  he  replied  without  hesitation.  "You  see,  it  is 
practically  inland  water  all  the  way,"  he  added. 

"Hiram,  are  you  still  keeping  away  from  Anna 
Bell  Morgan?  Don't  you  hear  from  her  at  all?" 
I  asked  this  question  suddenly,  as  we  approached  the 
warehouse,  and  the  change  of  subject  appeared  to 
have  startled  him. 

"No — and,  I  never  shall  unless  this  matter 
is  cleaned  up  completely.  If  I  go  to  the  bow-wows 
I  won't  take  any  one  with  me,"  he  said,  looking  far 
away  down  the  sidewalk. 

"You  haven't  seen  her  for  some  time.  Are  you 
cooling  off?" 

"No,  Ben,  not  one  bit.  That  girl  is  the  only  one 
who  has  ever  held  me.  I  don't  believe  there  is  a 
half  hour  of  the  time  that  I  am  awake  I  do  not 
think  of  her,  and  I  believe  it  is  the  thought  of  her 
that  makes  me  fight.  I  tell  you  it  must  be  no  half- 
way business.  If  they  try  to  pin  anything  on  me 
and  have  me  arrested,  which  they  may,  some  people 
will  always  believe  me  guilty  even  if  I  am  acquitted. 


190 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

And  if  that  comes  to  pass  I  don't  believe  I  will 
ever  see  her  again;  in  fact  I  told  her  so.  It  is 
a  fearful  thing  to  think  of,  and  while  we  are  making 
headway,  the  delay  almost  drives  me  wild  when  I 
stop  to  think  about  it,"  he  said,  still  downcast. 

"You'll  forget — most  men  do." 

"Yes — I  may  forget — I  may  not  be  different  from 
other  men,  but  I  don't  feel  that  way  now,  and  I  don't 
think  I  ever  will,"  he  replied  with  a  certain  con- 
vincing firmness.  But  when  we  got  to  the  ware- 
house, the  possibility  of  failure,  suggested  by  the 
reference  to  Anna  Bell  Morgan,  seemed  to  lend 
strength  to  his  body.  He  lifted  big  cases  with  ease 
and  smaller  ones  left  his  hands  with  a  toss  until 
we  uncovered  the  big  case  that  had  attracted  my 
attention. 

A  sledge  broke  the  iron  binding  and  I  lifted  one 
of  the  thick  planks.  When  I  told  Hiram  it  was  a 
steam  engine,  and  worthless  to  us,  it  was  the  first 
time  I  ever  heard  him  use  voluble  profanity,  to 
which  I  listened,  amused. 

But  in  uncovering  this  case,  bigger  ones  back  of 
it  were  revealed.  We  went  at  them.  The  next  one 
we  opened  contained  an  antiquated  automobile,  not 


191 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

worth  the  expense  of  packing  for  sea-shipment. 
Another  case  that  had  just  been  unloaded  from  a 
car  that  morning  promised  something  and  our  hopes 
arose;  it  was  much  longer  and  larger  than  any  of 
the  others  and  readily  answered  to  the  blows  of 
the  sledge.  It  contained  the  body  of  an  air-ship. 
Hiram  was  about  to  sulphurize  the  warehouse  again 
but  sat  down  instead,  wet  with  perspiration. 

"Ben,  that  infernal  thing  contains  a  gasoline 
motor — is  it  possible  to  use  it?"  He  waited  ex- 
pectantly for  a  reply. 

"Perhaps;  rip  off  another  plank  so  that  I  can 
see." 

Two  more  blows  from  the  flying  sledge  sent  an- 
other plank  flying. 

"There  you  are !"  he  exulted. 

We  were  astonished  to  find  a  twelve-cylinder 
motor  of  standard  manufacture,  which  I  thought 
might  be  used  in  a  boat.  And,  of  course,  a  self- 
contained  plant,  ready  for  running. 

Hiram's  spirits  rose  to  the  heights  with  this  in- 
formation and  he  began  his  habit  of  cavorting  like 
a  colt,  apparently  forgetting  the  sad  disappointment 


192 


of  only  a  moment  before.  In  many  respects  he  was 
yet  a  boy. 

I  called  Mr.  Kitchell  on  the  telephone,  told  him 
briefly  about  the  boat  and  of  the  motor  in  the  air- 
plane. 

"Yes,  take  it,  and  anything  there  you  can  use; 
you  know  we  can  requisition  anything  we  want  when 
necessary.  Take  it  quick  if  you  can  use  it  to  get 
us  out  of  this  nightmare,"  he  snapped  back  at  me. 
"A  complaint  from  Washington  has  reached  the 
president  of  the  road,  who  has  passed  it  down  the 
line  with  a  stinger  in  every  word.  Both  the  railroad 
administration  and  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry 
are  riding  on  my  neck  without  a  saddle.  Go  as  far 
as  you  like,  only  hurry." 


193 


CHAPTER  XX 

HIRAM  suggested  that  he  and  the  captain  would 
get  the  motor  out  on  the  floor  and  test  it  in  order 
to  make  sure  that  another  crooked  revolutionist  had 
not  met  a  crooked  manufacturer. 

While  they  were  doing  this  I  went  to  my  office 
to  get  a  better  line  on  the  traffic  between  that  very 
interesting  trio — Becker,  Burrell  and  my  clerk, 
Miss  Bascom. 

Captain  Marianna  helped  Hiram,  so  they  soon 
had  the  motor  on  skids,  and  'phoned  me  to  come 
down  and  try  it  out.  The  working  test  was  satis- 
factory and  after  computing  its  horsepower,  we  de- 
cided it  would  drive  th,  boat,  and,  possibly,  at  a 
fair  speed.  Before  leaving  the  warehouse  Hiram 
called  my  attention  to  a  small  portable  sawmill  out- 
fit. 

"If  this  works  out,  that's  mine,  too,"  he  whis- 
pered, evidently  still  clinging  to  the  idea  of  captur- 
ing logs  in  the  river. 

Hiram  was  right,  nothing  like  the  hull  of  the 


194 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Fearsome  had  ever  been  produced  before.  A  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  long,  and  over  thirty  foot  beam, 
and  with  a  bulwark  not  more  than  a  foot  high  about 
the  entire  outside.  It  looked  like  an  immense  skim- 
ming dish.  Hiram  thought  it  came  from  the 
canals  of  Mars,  possibly  a  cup  challenger  there. 
Captain  Marianna  assured  us,  though  she  didn't 
look  it  now,  she  was  very  sturdy  and  seaworthy 
and  she  did  not  leak  even  a  little  since  he  had  been 
on  her.  No  doubt  it  had  previously  had  gasoline 
power  in  it,  for  there  were  left  intact  the  founda- 
tion beams.  Hiram  said  that  the  captain,  now 
penniless  and  almost  starving,  if  given  some  cash 
and  a  good  job,  would  likely  be  distinctly  different 
from  now  on.  I  told  him  I  thought  the  fellow  was 
a  fair  bet,  and  left  them  at  work  getting  the  motor 
ready  to  move  on  board.  The  captain  assured  me 
the  sale  was  to  take  place  at  nine  the  next  morning. 
No  one  had  been  around  to  see  it  and  I  felt  sure  it 
would  go  for  very  little. 

As  I  was  up  all  night  I  did  not  see  Hiram  until 
the  next  morning.  The  sale  looked  as  though  it  had 
been  arranged  for  our  benefit.  The  officer  said  the 
claims  were  nearly  a  thousand  dollars,  sold  it 


195 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

promptly  for  that  bid,  got  away  as  though  in  a 
hurry,  and  I  attended  to  the  details,  leaving  Hiram 
serious  but  jubilant. 

It  was  late  that  night  when  he  returned,  tired 
and  hungry  but  enthusiastic.  He  took  little  interest 
in  a  letter  awaiting  him  until  he  told  me  all  about 
his  progress  in  moving  the  motor  and  getting  it 
aboard  the  boat. 

"We  got  the  motor  aboard  late  this  evening  and 
it  fits  as  if  made  for  the  foundation  beams,  and  it 
will  connect  with  the  propeller  shaft  and  clutch  with 
little  trouble.  But,  say,  the  captain  says  we  must 
have  an  air  compressor  for  the  whistle  and  an 
anxiliary  gasoline  tank, — and,  say,"  he  continued, 
while  stripping  down  to  wash — "I  believe  the  cap- 
tain is  going  to  prove  a  jewel — he's  all  right." 

"You  still  think  him  reliable?" 

"Well,  if  he  is  as  loyal  to  us  as  he  was  to  his 
old  employers  he  will  be  all  right — and  willing  to 
turn  his  hand  to  anything." 

"Did  you  see  the  letter  that  came  for  you  ?" 

"Yes,  I'm  going  to  read  it  in  a  minute — it's  noth- 
ing, for  I  don't  know  any  one  who  would  write  to 
me.  I've  got  something  more  important  to  do  now 


196 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

than  keeping  up  a  line  of  correspondence,"  he  said, 
as  he  finished  his  ablutions  and  buttoned  his  flannel 
shirt  at  the  collar.  Then  he  reached  for  the  letter 
and  as  he  opened  it  his  face  changed  to  astonished 
resentment. 

"Say,  who  the  devil  can  it  be  that  is  writing  me 
these  notes  ?  This  is  the  second  one  I  have  received, 
not  dated  or  signed  by  any  one.  I  don't  under- 
stand this  one  at  all,"  he  added,  handing  it  to  me. 

I  took  it  and  read  from  the  same  yellow  paper 
and  typed  as  the  last  one  had  been : 

"Becker  &  Co.  know  of  the  Railroad's  plan  to 
ship  slaughtered  cattle  from  Illinois  to  their  plant." 

His  astonishment  was  no  greater  than  mine,  for 
instantly  I  knew  that  only  some  one  connected  with 
the  railroad  and  telegraph  could  learn  anything  re- 
garding Superintendent  Kitchell's  plan.  I  also  re- 
called that  I  had  not  mentioned  anything  about  the 
plan  to  Hiram,  or  any  other  important  thing  con- 
cerning the  case.  I  wanted  him  to  move  uninflu- 
enced by  anything  I  knew  or  suspected. 

After  examining  the  note  critically  a  few  mo- 
ments, I  said: 


197 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Hiram,  these  notes  may  come  from  a  woman — 
they  have  such  earmarks.  Do  you  know — have  you 
anything  to  do  with  a  woman?"  I  asked,  really 
alarmed  at  the  moment,  and  scrutinizing  him  closely. 

Hiram  stood  straight  before  me  and  looked  me 
square  in  the  eye  with  magnificent  candor. 

"Ben,  I  have  scarcely  a  speaking  acquaintance 
with  any  woman  in  New  Orleans  except  Anna  Bell 
Morgan — and  I  have  not  seen  her  or  communicated 
with  her  since — well,  you  know  how  long — ever 
since  this  damned  thing  came  up  like  a  black  fog 
from  Hades,  out  of  which  it  seems  impossible  to 
get— and " 

"The  plan  of  getting  into  Becker's  plant  is  yours. 
I  mentioned  it  to  Superintendent  Kitchell.  Getting 
some  slaughtered  tubercular  cattle  from  Illinois  is 
Kitchell's  idea.  He  wired  or  wrote,  or  both,  from 
his  office  and  this  is  the  result.  Somebody  inside, 
sure — somebody  for  them  and  somebody  for  you — 
who  is  it,  Hiram  ?"  I  ended  by  demanding  of  him  to 
speak  only  the  truth. 

"I  haven't  mentioned  one  word  to  a  soul  othec 
than  you,"  he  stoutly  insisted,  his  face  as  open 
as  a  printed  page. 


198 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Have  you  mentioned  your  boat  scheme  to  any 
one?"  I  asked,  fearful  of  the  incaution  of  youth. 

"Not  a  person  knows  of  it  from  me  but  you  and 
Captain  Marianna,  and  he  doesn't  know  much  yet. 
But  this  is  absolute  evidence  our  finger  is  on  the 
right  spot,"  he  observed  shrewdly,  then  added,  less 
confidently — "they  must  have  some  organization." 

"Go  ahead,  Hiram,  I  still  think  your  boat  scheme 
a  very  good  one,  but  be  very  discreet  and  see  if  you 
can  think  of  any  one  who  would  send  these  notes 
to  you,"  I  added  darkly,  much  puzzled  and  an- 
noyed. 

"He  is  building  and  must  have  lumber — he'll  fall 
for  some  cheap  stuff  and  the  river  is  full  of  logs — 
and  it's  perfectly  feasible  to  saw  them " 

"Maybe  so,  Hiram — provided  he  doesn't  keep  on 
knowing  what  we  have  for  breakfast.  I  will  learn 
more  in  a  day  or  two — go  ahead  as  fast  as  you  can 
about  getting  ready,  but  again  I  ask  you  to  have  an 
interrogation  point  in  front  of  you  all  the  time." 

"Ben" — he  began,  walking  about  the  room 
nervously,  as  though  he  felt  his  soul  in  danger — 
righteously  angered,  but  as  one  who  showed  real  big-* 
ness — "I  am  convinced  that  they  have  power 


199 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

enough,  so  that  when  they  get  ready  they  can  for 
a  time  make  me  the  goat.  I  was  in  sole  charge  of 
that  wharf  when  the  big  thefts  were  pulled  off; 
what  would  be  easier  than  to  link  me  up  with  some 
poor  teamster  and  send  the  two  of  us  to  slaughter, 
and  even  by  arrest  plant  an  imputation  that  could 
be  cited  against  me  all  my  life?  I  could  take  this 
Becker  and  tear  his  purple  tallow  person  into  bits 
with  my  bare  hands  and  throw  the  pieces  into  his 
own  rendering  tanks  with  pleasure!"  he  shouted, 
and  he  looked  as  though  he  could  do  it. 

"Yes,  Hiram,  that  possibility  is  present,  but  per- 
haps you  magnify  it."  Then  believing  his  effi- 
ciency would  be  augmented  by  a  little  less  fear,  I 
told  him,  for  the  first  time,  that  the  provision  mar- 
ket was  flooded  with  spurious  goods  bearing  a  genu- 
ine government  stamp  as  having  been  inspected  and 
passed,  and  that  on  this  night  I  was  going  with  a 
Federal  party  in  a  move  against  Becker  for  that. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  he  asked  quickly. 

"Locate  him  as  soon  as  he  leaves  his  New  Or- 
leans office,  then  a  safe  expert,  employed  by  the 
government  in  alien-enemy  work,  will  open  his  safe 


200 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

for  evidence,  and  possibly  will  find  the  stolen  seals, 
stamps,  and  ink  of  the  Department  of  Animal  In- 
dustry." 

"I  have  figured  the  case  in  just  that  way  and  sup- 
posed you  had,  and  that  is  why  we  must  get  inside 
his  plant.  Opening  his  safe  may  help — finding  the 
seals  don't  prove  the  larceny — suppose  they  should 
secrete  those  seals  about  the  wharf,  or  worse  still, 
put  them  inside,  or  under  my  desk,  in  the  wharf 
office,  what  chance  would  I  have  to  escape  the  im- 
plication?" he  asked,  still  walking  about  the  room 
looking  at  the  floor. 

"A  dog  having  the  bone  will  not  prove  he  stole 
the  ham,"  I  suggested. 

"But  that  won't  save  the  dog's  ribs  when  he's 
found  with  it."  he  retorted,  relaxing. 

"It  is  true,  Hiram,  their  organization  must  begin 
in  Kansas  City — and  is  pretty  well  oiled — but  per- 
haps not  as  efficient  as  you  imagine ;  crooks  always 
forget  something  with  a  certainty  that  suggests 
fatality." 

"Let  us  hope  so.  But  these  notes — what  makes 
you  think  they  are  from  a  woman?"  He  stopped 


201 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

and  looked  squarely  at  me.     "I  don't  like  it,"  he 
finished  with  a  snap  of  his  jaws. 

"My  reason  just  now  is  scarcely  more  than  an 
impression,  hardly  more  than  'because/  "  I  replied. 


202 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THAT  night  at  dinner  I  asked  Hiram  how  much 
he  knew  about  gasoline  engines,  and  he  looked  up  at 
me  sharply. 

"Not  very  much ;  very  little,  in  fact.  The  Gold- 
Beater  gave  me  a  car  once — a  pretty  good  one — 
and  I  was  learning  about  motors  fairly  fast  when 
something  happened.  I  knew  motors  needed  water, 
oil  and  gasoline,  and  that  when  I  did  certain  things 
it  went,  and  sometimes  it  moved  pretty  fast.  That 
was  the  trouble — I  met  a  bigger  car  and  we  both 
went  over  in  a  man's  front  yard.  I  lost  two  wheels 
and  other  things — I  never  saw  it  again.  The  Gold- 
Beater  and  the  insurance  company  settled  some- 
how. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  continued  after  a  pause,  "I 
don't  blame  the  Gold-Beater  much — two  thousand 
was  my  share  for  putting  an  innocent  pedestrian 
in  the  park  on  the  bad  side — I  wonder  he  didn't  get 
the  marble  heart  sooner."  As  he  said  this  his  lips 
curled  with  self-criticism. 


203 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"How  soon  will  you  have  the  motor  ready  to 
start  ?  I  am  going  to  be  very  busy  to-morrow.  Can 
you  and  the  captain  manage  to  start  it  alone?" 

"To-morrow  at  noon  we  will  have  everything 
ready  for  a  try-out  and  if  I  don't  feel  safe  we  will 
not  attempt  to  start  without  you.  Don't  want  to 
take  any  chances ;  there's  too  much  at  stake,"  he  in- 
sisted with  rare  judgment. 

"Everything  is  fair  in  love  and  war,"  is  the  liber- 
tine's comfort  in  the  case  of  a  love  contest — and  in 
war  it  depends  on  the  kind  of  an  enemy  we  have. 
In  this  war  any  means  of  obtaining  evidence  against 
our  enemy  was  justified.  That  was  my  firm  belief. 
That  night  Becker  &  Co.'s  office  was  entered  as 
planned  and  his  safe  opened.  While  there  was 
plenty  of  evidence  that  he  was  trading  illicitly  and 
with  the  enemy,  I  was  disappointed  in  finding  no 
evidence  of  his  thieving  propensity,  except  a  letter 
he  had  received  that  day  from  the  captain  of  a 
Swedish  ship,  Sparticide,  then  in  port,  who  in  poor 
English  explained  that  he  had  "received  the  sample 
and  thought  it  would  do,  though  the  price  was  al- 
together too  high.  If  he  would  pack  in  half  bar- 


204 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

rels  and  deliver  as  suggested,  he  would  take  the  lot 
for  cash,  delivered  alongside." 

This  letter  was  carefully  copied  and  replaced. 

When  I  reached  home  just  before  daylight, 
Hiram,  Jr.,  was  fast  asleep,  but  when  I  awakened 
later  in  the  day  he  had  gone. 

I  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  morning  getting 
the  five  bales  of  waste  paper  that  had  been  unloaded 
from  Becker's  boat  on  the  steamship  docks,  into  a 
private  fireproof  room  in  the  storage  warehouse 
where  we  had  our  barrel  of  "steel  filings"  stored, 
and  secured  an  affidavit  from  the  steamship  com- 
pany that  they  were  received  from  Becker  &  Co. 

When  I  found  leisure  to  examine  them,  I  drew 
•samples  from  each  bale  and  carefully  estimated  the 
number,  finding  they  checked  up  with  the  amount 
of  filled  sausage  cartons  stolen  from  the  car. 

Before  leaving  the  warehouse  I  had  our  barrel 
put  into  the  same  room  and  secured  it  with  a  special 
Government  padlock.  Recent  correspondence  had 
developed  that  it  contained  a  very  rare  German  ani- 
line dye,  which  American  manufacturers  had  as 
yet  been  unable  to  produce,  and  offers  for  it  had 


205 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

risen  to  such  a  fabulous  sum  I  was  afraid  to  tell 
Hiram  about  it  for  the  present. 

When  I  reached  my  office,  my  clerk,  Miss  Bas- 
com,  was  out  to  luncheon,  but  I  had  not  been  there 
long  before  Superintendent  Kitchell  came  in  and 
formally  introduced  Mr.  Hiram  Strong,  Sr.,  whom 
he  had  mentioned  as  being  in  transit  over  the  system 
in  his  private  car,  and  asked  me  to  extend  any  pos- 
sible courtesy,  after  which  he  bowed  himself  out 
obsequiously. 

I  knew  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  man.  He  was 
tall  and  his  full  chest  and  very  broad  shoulders  im- 
pressed me  as  they  had  impressed  Hiram.  His  hair 
was  iron  gray  and  his  very  hat  seemed  to  be  made 
to  order  for  him.  His  eyes  appeared  to  penetrate 
without  effort  the  object  on  which  they  turned, 
and  one  knew  instinctively  that  he  could  and  would 
note  any  discrepancy  between  what  a  person  thought 
and  what  he  uttered. 

I  saw  at  once  how  Hiram,  Jr.,  had  come  by  his 
nose  piece,  also  his  fine,  clear  skin  and  chiseled 
mouth. 

Superintendent  Kitchell,  contrary  to  his  boast, 
had  told  him  all  he  knew  about  Hiram,  Jr.  He  did 


206 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

not  seem  to  want  to  hear  more  from  me,  but  did 
want  some  information  about  getting  down  the 
river  to  the  Hunting  Club,  where  he  was  going  to 
shoot  ducks. 

"I  left  New  York  supposing  I  could  dispense  with 
my  secretary  for  a  few  weeks  anyhow,  but  in  that 
I  am  disappointed.  Would  it  be  too  much  trouble 
to  obtain  a  stenographer  to  write  some  letters  for 
me?" 

Hiram  Strong,  Sr.,  like  his  son,  was  one  to  whom 
anything  within  reason  could  not  be  refused. 

"Such  talent  is  very  scarce  in  New  Orleans  now, 
but  if  you  can  manage  with  my  clerk,  Miss  Bascom, 
who  is  fairly  efficient,  you  are  welcome  to  her  serv- 
ices— if  she  does  not  object,"  was  the  only  thing  I 
could  say. 

"I  think  she  will  do ;  in  fact,  almost  any  one,"  he 
assured  me. 

But  somehow  I  felt  that  I  was  doing  the  wrong 
thing,  for  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  Miss  Bas- 
com's  attitude  or  position  was  so  clouded  and  mys- 
terious that,  until  I  knew  more,  I  should  not  trust 
her  with  anything  important.  But  Hiram  Strong, 
Sr.,  was  not  a  man  to  be  refused. 


207 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

When  Miss  Bascom  came  in  I  introduced  her 
and  was  about  to  explain  what  was  wanted,  when 
I  stopped  in  amazement.  The  moment  I  mentioned 
the  name  "Mr.  Strong"  her  face  became  white  as 
marble,  she  raised  her  hand  as  though  to  advance 
and  greet  him,  but  it  fell  and  she  stood  as  though 
petrified,  while  I  explained  what  he  desired. 

"I — I  hope  I  will  be  able  to  serve  you,"  she  man- 
aged to  say,  while  she  gazed  fixedly  at  him.  I  could 
not  guess  whether  it  was  fear  or  other  excitement. 

"My  work  is  simple  correspondence,  and  I  am 
sure  you  will  be  able  to  manage  it,"  he  replied  as- 
suringly,  and  I  was  not  certain  whether  he  was  ad- 
miring her  quail-like  figure  and  unusually  pretty 
face,  or,  like  myself,  was  trying  to  divine  the  un- 
usual excitement  under  the  light  bronze  hair. 

"I  will  do  my  best,"  she  managed  to  say,  begin- 
ning to  edge  away  toward  her  desk  by  the  win- 
dow. 

"Would  it  be  asking  too  much  for  you  to  come 
out  to  the  car?  It  is  just  under  the  train  shed." 

"Not  at  all,  with  Mr.  Taylor's  permission,"  she 
replied  quickly,  in  a  more  natural  tone.  I  nodded 
approval  without  looking  at  her,  but  did  not  relax 


208 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

my  endeavor  to  see  if  Hiram  Strong,  Sr.,  had  missed 
anything  and  decided  he  had  not.  He  was  not  of 
that  sort. 

She  went  to  her  desk,  obtained  notebook  and  pen- 
cils, and  stood  expectantly  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dow as  though  steeling  herself  for  an  ordeal. 

"I  will  undoubtedly  see  you  again  before  I  go, 
Mr.  Taylor — I  hope  I  will  not  greatly  inconvenience 
you  by  taking  away  your  clerk,"  he  added  suavely, 
going  to  the  door  and  opening  it  as  a  sign  for  her  to 
go  with  him. 

"Anything  more  I  can  do  for  you  will  be  a  pleas- 
ure, Mr.  Strong,"  I  said,  meeting  his  eye  and  getting 
a  full  message  from  him. 

After  they  were  gone  I  remained  at  my  desk  en- 
deavoring to  reach  a  logical  conclusion  as  to  the 
attitude  of  this  girl,  who,  at  that  moment,  I  was 
ready  to  pronounce  "infernal,"  probably  because 
she  had  so  far  baffled  me.  It  is  true  I  had  not  given 
her  any  serious  attention;  perhaps  I  should  have 
done  so.  I  reviewed  in  my  mind  her  traffic  with 
Becker  and  the  chief  clerk,  Burrell,  and  the  fact 
that  I  was  quite  positive  she  was  the  author  of  the 


209 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

anonymous  notes  to  Hiram.  I  decided  to  put  a  rod 
in  pickle  for  her,  at  once. 

I  asked  that  her  movements  be  accounted  for 
every  hour,  and  something  positive  be  dug  up  con- 
cerning her  antecedents,  as  soon  as  I  reached  the 
Department  office,  which  precaution  was  rewarded 
sooner  than  expected. 

The  remainder  of  the  afternoon  was  spent  in  se- 
curing an  auxiliary  gasoline  tank  and  an  air-com- 
pressor, which  Hiram,  Jr.,  had  said  he  must  have 
to  complete  his  running  outfit. 

"Old  man,"  he  began,  as  soon  as  he  came  in  that 
evening,  looking  as  dirty  and  disreputable  as  a  long- 
shoreman, "we  have  a  dandy  outfit — the  captain  says 
we  can  run  away  from  anything.  You've  got  the 
tank  and  air-pump?  Fine,  old  man,  we  will  soon 
kill  off  Becker  and  the  whole  crowd.  All  we  need 
now  is  that  saw-mill  in  the  'Dead  Hoss'  warehouse, 
and  we  are  ready."  He  finished  with  great  enthu- 
siasm, stripping  his  upper  body  for  a  complete  clean- 
up before  eating  dinner. 

"Did  you  start  the  engine,  Hiram?" 

"No,  but  we  are  all  ready.  The  captain  wanted 
to,  but  I  thought  we'd  better  wait  for  you.  You've 


210 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

got  to  go  out  there  the  first  thing  in  the  morning-, — 
you  can  do  that,  can't  you?" 

"Yes,  maybe — but  don't  you  think  we  had  better 
give  it  a  pretty  good  try-out  before  we  put  any- 
thing more  into  her? — she  might  prove  a  flivver." 

"Never  on  your  life — she's  going  to  run  like  a 
wolf — but  maybe  you  are  right  about  giving  her  a 
good  trial — suppose  we  bring  her  around  into  the 
river? — that  ought  to  be  trial  enough,"  he  concluded, 
coming  close  and  displaying  a  wonderfully  well  de- 
veloped torso  that  with  age  would  be  as  broad  as  his 
father's,  which  I  had  been  admiring  but  a  short 
time  before.  For  a  moment  I  speculated  on  how 
he  would  feel  if  he  knew  that  his  father  was  in  New 
Orleans  at  that  moment  and  that  I  had  been  talk- 
ing with  him. 

"Wake  up,  Ben;  you  seem  to  be  dreaming.  Did 
you  hear  what  I  said  ?"  he  insisted,  making  me  dodge 
to  escape  a  whack  on  the  back. 

"I  believe  you  said  it  was  over  two  hundred  miles 
through  Ponchertrain  around  into  the  river?" 

"Yes,  over  two  hundred  miles  by  water,  but  by 
land,  right  through  the  city,  only  about  a  mile.  But 
we've  got  to  get  into  the  river." 


211 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Yes,  if  she  will  go  two  hundred  miles  she  will 
go  any  distance." 

"All  right;  I'm  going  to  pack  up  to-night  and 
move  aboard  to  stay  until  Becker  and  his  crew  are 
all  in  limbo  headed  for  the  penitentiary — do  you 
hear  me,  Ben  ?" 

I  heard  what  he  said,  but  was  lost  in  considering 
plans  which  at  that  moment  required  radical  change, 
and  must  be  done  with  tact  and  judgment. 

Hiram  became  thoughtful  and  remained  so 
throughout  dinner,  and  as  soon  as  we  returned  he 
began,  without  further  comment,  to  get  his  belong- 
ings together  and  ready  for  transfer  to  the  Fear- 
some, fully  convinced  that  his  abode  there  would 
last  for  a  long  time. 

I  remained  in  the  attitude  of  the  "immortal,"  who 
waited  for  something  to  turn  up,  and  I  did  not  have 
long  to  wait. 

A  messenger  came  with  two  rather  startling  bits 
of  information;  the  Sparticide,  the  Swedish  ship, 
had  asked  for  her  papers  and  wanted  to  clear  at 
five  the  next  morning,  and  the  more  mystifying 
knowledge — even  to  me — that  my  clerk,  Miss  Bas- 
com,  had  arrived  at  that  moment  at  the  St.  Charles 


212 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

hotel  and  was  dining  there  with  a  distinguished 
stranger.  Would  I  also  check  up  the  stranger? 

Both  situations  needed  immediate  attention  and  I 
could  not  be  in  two  places  at  the  same  time.  I  called 
Hiram,  Jr.,  from  the  room  where  he  was  busily 
packing. 

"Hiram,  come  here  and  sit  down  long  enough  for 
me  to  funnel  a  bit  of  instruction  into  your  think 
tank,"  said  I,  recalling  that  I  had  not  mentioned 
the  Sparticide  matter  to  him. 

He  came  and  sat  down  in  front  of  me,  the  cor- 
ners of  his  mouth  slightly  elevated,  folded  his 
hands  in  front  of  him  and  waited  in  a  slightly 
humorous  and  bored  attitude  for  some  inkling  of 
what  he  was  about  to  draw. 

"Hiram,  a  Swedish  ship,  bound  for  Stockholm, 
is  in  the  stream  on  the  other  side,  just  below  Al- 
giers, and  is  asking  to  be  cleared  to-morrow  morn- 
ing at  five.  It  is  thought  she  has,  or  will  have  to- 
night, a  considerable  quantity  of  Becker  &  Co.'s 
product  on  board.  Foodstuffs  of  any  sort  to  Sweden 
are  forbidden,  and  if  taken  are  contraband.  His 
clearance  papers  are  blocked  until  we  are  satisfied. 
Principally,  what  we  want  now  is  a  liberal  sample 


213 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

of  what  they  take  aboard  from  Becker.  You  will 
be  there  in  an  unofficial  capacity,  so  use  discretion, 
but  get  the  samples.  Here  is  a  copy  of  the  cap- 
tain's letter  closing  the  deal." 

I  had  not  half  finished  when  his  eyes  began  to 
glitter  and  dance  as  though  they  might  jump  from 
their  sockets,  and  I  had  barely  completed  my  in- 
structions when  he  grabbed  the  letter,  threw  on  his 
coat  and  bounded  down  the  stairs  three  steps  at  a 
time. 


214 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THOSE  who  say  that  any  man  will  naturally  fall 
for  a  pretty  young  woman  are  pessimistic.  Age, 
unspoiled,  will  crave  association  with  youth,  but 
a  young  man  will  quite  adequately  fill  the  bill. 

When  I  reached  the  hotel  I  had  no  trouble  in 
finding  Hiram  Strong,  Sr.,  the  Gold-Beater,  in  a 
forest  of  millinery  and  subdued  lights  of  the  hotel 
dining-room.  He  was  the  most  prominent  figure 
in  the  big  room,  and  sitting  opposite  him  was  my 
clerk,  Miss  Bascom. 

He  was  not  a  victim  or  an  intended  one — a  lion 
who,  with  playful  stroke,  could  crush  the  beautiful 
flower  in  front  of  him.  His  lids  would  narrow 
occasionally  with  intense  interest  or  curiosity.  I 
could  not  get  close  enough  to  hear  what  was  said, 
but  she  was  quite  voluble.  I  had  no  immediate  in- 
terest in  him ;  he  was  fully  able  to  care  for  himself, 
but  my  interest  in  her  was  intensified.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  I  could  see  on  her  beautiful  shoulders,  now 
bared  in  dinner  garb,  the  mark  of  the  huge,  pudgy, 


215 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

filthy  hand  of  Becker,  in  gross  caress.  The  brand 
of  suspicion  was  upon  her  the  moment  she  had 
come  into  contact  with  him,  when  he  pressed  her  to 
his  vile  self,  and  her  lips  were  violated  by  contact 
with  his  lumpy,  purple,  filthy  mouth  as  he  kissed 
her.  Could  her  ears  ever  be  maidenly  again  after 
listening  to  his  vile  proposals? 

I  was  not  at  all  sure  of  her  relations  with  Chief 
Clerk  Burrell,  but  I  felt  sure  there  was  an  under- 
standing; nor  could  I  account  for  her  anonymous 
notes  to  Hiram,  Jr.  But  here  she  sat  comfortably 
dining  with  his  father  after  six  or  eight  hours'  ac- 
quaintance, all  of  which  was  most  disconcerting. 

Truly  a  remarkable  young  woman,  whatever  her 
impelling  motive,  was  my  thought.  I  felt  that  the 
time  was  fast  approaching  when  I  could  compel  her 
to  hold  up  her  last  page  for  me  to  read. 

At  a  reasonable  hour  the  Gold-Beater  put  her 
into  a  cab  and  sent  her  home.  I  hurried  back  to 
our  rooms  expecting  to  hear  from  Hiram,  Jr.  His 
mission  was  most  difficult  and  important — would  he 
be  successful? 

There  was  no  mistaking  his  bounding  step  on  the 
stairs,  some  time  after  eleven,  and  I  was  not  sur- 


216 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

prised  when  he  grabbed  my  foot  and  dragged  me 
from  the  bed  where  I  was  dozing. 

"Get  up,  Ben ;  I've  got  it — the  Swede  was  a  hard 
nut  to  crack,  but  I  made  him  open  up — I've  got  a 
whole  barrel  full  downstairs. — It's  the  stuff  we 
want,  all  right — come  on  and  see  it !"  he  exclaimed, 
greatly  excited,  but  suppressing  himself  with  dis- 
cretion. 

"Are  you  sure  ?"  I  asked,  barely  awake. 

"Of  course,  I'm  sure — come  on  down  and  see  it 
— I  wouldn't  take  his  word  for  anything.  I  made 
him  open  up  before  he  lowered  it  into  my  boat.  He 
tried  to  play  innocent — jockeyed  for  some  time,  but 
I  finally  showed  him  the  copy  of  his  letter  and  flatly 
told  him,  'No  sample,  no  sail,  also  jail  and  his  ship 
interned.'  A  half  barrel  of  that  stuff  is  heavy  and 
I  had  the  devil  of  a  time  getting  it  out  of  the  boat 
onto  the  levee.  Then  I  got  hold  of  Billy  Swope's 
taxi — he's  safe — I've  known  him  about  the  docks 
for  a  long  time.  Where  are  we  going  to  put  it  at 
this  time  of  night?  Come  on — wake  up — you  act 
as  if  you'd  been  taking  dope,"  he  hissed,  coming 
threateningly  toward  me,  playful  but  intensely  ex- 
cited. 


217 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"As  a  matter  of  fact  I  was  planning,  Hiram 

Leave  it  in  the  cab — go  down  and  tell  the  driver 
he  is  engaged  for  the  night." 

When  Hiram  came  back  to  the  room  he  saw  me 
taking  two  full-sized  cartons  from  my  drawer  and 
asked  with  great  excitement,  "Where  did  you  get 
them?" 

"From  those  five  bales  of  waste-paper  you  saw 
come  off  of  Becker's  boat  onto  the  S.  P.  wharf : 
didn't  I  tell  you  about  it?"  I  asked,  knowing  I  had 
not-  told  him  and  that  there  was  still  a  great  deal 
more  I  could  not  tell  him  for  the  present. 

It  took  us  a  long  time  to  locate  the  agent  of  the 
packing-house.  The  time  seemed  interminable  be- 
fore we  could  rout  him  out  of  bed  to  identify  the 
goods  as  those  that  were  stolen,  but  as  soon  as  he 
knew  what  we  wanted  he  was  very  much  awake  and 
ready  for  all  requirements. 

He  came  out  to  the  cab,  drew  a  liberal  sample 
from  the  barrel  setting  on  end  beside  the  driver, 
took  it  to  the  light,  felt  of  it,  tasted  it  raw,  but  be- 
fore pronouncing  it  solemnly  and  unqualifiedly 
theirs,  he  cooked  and  tasted  it.  We  then  made  him 
accompany  us  down  to  his  plant,  unlock  his  cold 


218 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

storage  house  and  there  we  left  the  barrel  in  his 
charge  to  preserve  as  evidence,  after  I  had  filled 
a  full  carton  for  further  use  that  night. 

We  then  drove  back  to  the  rooms  where  I  had 
left  Hiram  to  finish  his  preparations  for  going 
aboard  the  Fearsome. 

"By  Heaven,  one  man  now  knows  I  didn't  steal 
— and  the  rest  of  them  have  got  to  know  before  we 
get  through,"  said  Hiram,  wringing  my  hand  before 
I  left  him  in  order  to  drive  to  Superintendent  Kit- 
chell's  residence  and  give  him  a  bad  half  hour. 

Mr.  Kitchell  grumbled  at  first,  but  when  he 
learned  my  mission  he,  too,  was  jubilant  and  un- 
stinting in  his  praise.  I  had  exhibited  the  full  car- 
ton of  sausage  and  told  him  as  much  as  I  thought 
necessary. 

"We  can  have  warrants  issued  at  once,  can't  we?" 
he  asked. 

"No — no,  not  yet — the  most  important  work  is 
yet  to  be  done.  The  evidence  we  now  have  would 
only  convict  Becker  &  Co.  of  receiving  stolen  prop- 
erty. How  they  were  able  to  replace  the  Govern- 
ment, the  railroad  and  the  packer's  seals  on  the  car 
must  be  answered  before  we  prove  larceny.  Young 


219 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Strong's  idea  of  getting  into  their  plant  is  the  best, 
and  we  are  ready  to  try  it." 

"Of  course,  you  know  best — we  want  to  stop  it 
for  good  and  all  by  sending  every  one  to  the  Pen. 
Taylor,  have  you  made  up  your  mind  as  to  whom  it 
is  in  our  office  that  is  working  with  them?"  he  in- 
quired guardedly,  wrapping  his  bathrobe  about  his 
shins. 

"Yes — pretty  sure — but " 

"Well,  as  I  said,  you  know  best — whatever  you 
say  goes  a  hundred  per  cent  with  me  now — what 
do  you  want  ?"  his  bald  spot  taking  on  a  deeper  red. 

"Discontinue  my  office  and  give  out  freely  that 
any  further  effort  in  the  case  has  been  abandoned 
as  a  failure.  Besides,  the  robberies  have  stopped 
now.  I  am  going  with  young  Strong  to  try  and  get 
into  their  plant,  and  hope  to  secure  the  rest  of  the 
necessary  evidence  in  that  way." 

"Good  idea;  I  will  do  what  you  ask  to-day." 

"One  thing  more,  Mr.  Kitchell,  it  seems  neces- 
sary, in  fact  extremely  important  for  me  not  to  lose 
sight  of  my  clerk,  Miss  Bascom " 

"I  understand — I  can  attend  to  that  easily,"  he 

220 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

assented,  as  I  left  him  to  spend  the  remainder  of  the 
morning  getting  ready  to  board  the  Fearsome. 

Hiram,  Jr.,  was  silent  most  of  the  time,  but  moved 
with  such  energy  and  determination  that  the  thought 
of  failure  was  terrifying.  In  fact,  I  began  to  feel 
almost  as  though  I  was  getting  on  thin  ice. 

So  much  depended  on  the  new  motor  and  many 
other  sailing  details  impossible  to  think  of  at  the 
time. 

Captain  Marianna  only  claimed  to  be  a  navigator, 
but  he  displayed  considerable  knowledge  about  gas- 
oline motors.  He  had  attended  to  the  many  details 
and  was  waiting  for  us  with  a  confidence  that  was 
reassuring. 

After  breakfast  aboard,  we  all  took  a  hand  in 
starting  the  motor. 

"It  runs  as  though  made  for  the  job,"  exclaimed 
Hiram,  hardly  able  to  contain  himself.  He  had  not 
shaved  for  several  days  and  with  dirty  working 
clothes  he  looked  indeed  a  longshoreman,  but  was 
oblivious  to  the  fact. 

When  the  motor  had  run  long  enough  to  get  warm 
I  told  him  to  throw  in  the  clutch  that  started  the 
propeller,  which  he  did  without  skill  and  so  sud- 


221 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

denly  that  the  Fearsome  took  up  the  slack  of  her 
lines  and  before  I  could  stop  the  motor  or  get  to  the 
clutch  she  snapped  them  and  was  free  from  the 
wharf. 

Hiram  realized  he  had  blundered  from  inexperi- 
ence and  his  face  flushed. 

"Ben,  will  that  hold  us  up?  It  was  a  devil  of  a 
thing  for  me  to  do,"  he  said,  catching  my  arm, 
greatly  alarmed. 

"Captain,  have  you  plenty  of  line  aboard?"  I 
called. 

"Yes,  plenty,"  he  assured. 

"Let's  give  her  a  few  turns  and  if  she  moves  all 
right  we'll  head  for  the  entrance  of  the  lake." 

"I  think  we're  safe  in  that,"  he  replied,  and 
Hiram's  look  changed  to  one  of  confidence  at  once, 
evidently  concluding  his  first  blunder  was  not  fatal 
to  the  enterprise  in  which  his  whole  soul  was 
wrapped. 

The  captain  took  the  wheel,  while  I  gave  the 
motor  half  speed  and  Hiram  stood  in  wonder, 
watching  as  we  moved  swiftly  up  the  canal,  and 
when  clear  of  it  I  gave  the  motor  full  speed  and  the 
captain  without  more  ado  squared  away  towards 


222 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Mississippi  Sound,  the  gulf  to  New  Orleans  on  the 
river. 

"She  runs  like  a  greyhound,"  Hiram  said, 
after  watching  her  go  at  full  speed  for  a  short  time. 
"How  fast  is  she  running?"  he  asked,  apparently 
forgetting  his  first  disappointment,  and  consumed 
with  a  fierce  satisfaction  that  his  complete  vindi- 
cation and  success  was  at  hand. 

"Perhaps  eight  or  ten  knots,"  I  replied  evasively. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  we  were  going  over  twelve  and 
I  had  to  stand  over  the  new  motor  with  oil  can  and 
grease  bucket,  so  I  paid  no  more  attention  to  him. 

We  got  out  into  the  sound  before  noon.  It  is 
unwise  to  run  a  new  motor  too  far  without  stopping, 
so  I  advised  that  we  make  a  port  and  appealed  to 
the  captain. 

"We  can  make  Gulfport  in  a  short  time,"  he  re- 
plied, to  wiiich  we  all  assented  and  he  changed  his 
course.  "\  icn  we  got  there  a  most  unlocked  for 
incident  occurred. 


223 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

WAS  the  Gold-Beater's  luck  going  to  attend  his 
very  vigorous  and  now  virile  son?  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  luck ;  follow  the  smoke  of  the  so-called 
"lucky"  and  we  soon  conclude  that  they  earn  what 
they  get  by  sheer  force  of  intense  action. 

The  captain  had  hardly  reached  the  Gulfport  dock 
before  he  was  approached  to  take  on  a  cargo  for 
New  Orleans.  Lumber  was  piled  everywhere,  with 
no  bottoms  to  move  it  to  New  Orleans. 

The  captain  referred  them  to  Hiram,  Jr.,  as  the 
owner.  He  talked  with  them,  then  the  three  of  us 
went  below.  We  were  bound  for  New  Orleans; 
could  we  take  a  cargo  of  lumber? 

Hiram's  eyes  danced  and  glistened  with  the  pos- 
sibilities. 

"Ben,  you  know  about  our  power;  and  you,  cap- 
tain, know  how  seaworthy  she  will  be."  He  wisely 
interrogated  both  of  us  at  the  same  time,  looking 
from  one  to  the  other. 

"What  do  you  think  about  the  power,  Ben?" 


224 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"I  think  she  will  handle  a  load,"  I  replied  vaguely, 
and  added,  "for  a  thrown-together,  patched-up  af- 
fair, she  performs  wonderfully." 

Hiram  looked  at  Captain  Marianna,  as  a  man 
born  to  lead.  He  wanted  that  officer's  opinion. 

"Well,"  hesitated  the  captain,  "I  believe  she 
is  seaworthy  and  if  you  can  get  a  load  of  timber  we 
can  fill  the  hold  and  even  take  a  deck  load.  Timber 
loads  and  discharges  quickly.  Our  course,  nearly  all 
the  way  is  protected,  and  if  a  blow  comes  we  can 
easily  find  shelter,"  he  concluded  with  suppressed 
eagerness. 

"That's  all  right,  but  how  about  time?  I  don't 
want  to  lose  a  lot  of  time.  We  didn't  start  in  to 
carry  freight,"  said  Hiram  with  determination. 

"Go  and  see  how  soon  they  can  load  and  be  care- 
ful to  settle  the  freight  rate,"  suggested  the  captain. 
Hiram  sprang  to  the  deck.  His  mind  seemed  to  be 
working  like  a  trip  hammer. 

"Ben,  can  they  do  that  ?"  he  asked  excitedly  when 
he  returned ;  but  before  I  could  reply  he  continued : 
"do  you  know,  they  threatened  to  commandeer  our 
craft  if  we  don't  take  timber  to  New  Orleans.  It's 
for  Government  work — can  they  do  that?" 


225 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Yes,  they  can." 

"And  they  say  we  have  nothing  to  say  about  the 
freight  rate — that  is  fixed,"  he  said,  his  eyes  wide 
and  keen  with  wonder  at  the  new  situation  into 
which  he  had  so  suddenly  plunged. 

"The  freight  rate  will  no  doubt  be  liberal 
enough,"  I  suggested. 

"Then  we  might  just  as  well  get  the  credit  of 
doing  it  willingly,"  he  wisely  concluded,  and  was 
away  again. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  we  moved  up  about  a 
thousand  feet,  and  all  the  men  available  were  busy 
crowding  timber  into  the  Fearsome,  continuing  the 
work  far  into  the  night.  The  captain  looked  after 
the  stowage  and  I  was  busy  getting  an  emergency 
supply  of  gasoline,  oil  and  sundry  necessary  sup- 
plies. Hiram  provisioned  and  attended  to  other 
details.  He  was  in  an  element  natural  to  him  and 
seemed  to  forget  everything  else.  By  daylight  the 
next  morning  we  had  the  hold  full  and  a  deck-load 
six  feet  high.  In  fact,  the  Fearsome  looked  like  a 
floating,  sawed  timber  raft,  bound  and  tied  together 
with  log  chains. 

After  breakfast  as  we   were   feeling   our   way 


226 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

out  of  the  river  into  the  sound,  Hiram  came  down 
very  soberly  to  where  I  was  attending  to  the  engine. 
He  was  evidently  well  pleased.  Hands  that  but  a 
short  while  ago  were  manicured  twice  a  week  were 
now  broadened,  manly,  brown  and  grease-stained. 

"Don't  you  think  we  are  short-handed  ?"  he  asked. 
"I  tried  to  get  some  one  but  couldn't.  I  hate  to  have 
you  stand  by  that  motor  long  hours  at  a  time.  Per- 
haps I  can  help?" 

"If  the  weather  is  good  we  ought  to  make  the 
mouth  of  the  river  by  night,  anchor  there,  get  some 
sleep  and  complete  the  journey  to  New  Orleans  to- 
morrow in  daylight." 

"Ben!  do  you  mean  to  say  we  can  make  New 
Orleans  in  two  days?"  he  asked  in  open-eyed  won- 
der. 

"If  we  don't  get  bad  weather." 

"Say,  do  you  think  I  am  awake — pinch  me — take 
something  and  hit  me  on  the  head  to  be  sure  I  am 
not  astraddle  a  'Night-Hoss,'  "  he  suggested,  pulling 
himself  up  on  the  head  of  one  of  the  galvanized 
barrels  of  emergency  gasoline  near  me,  holding  his 
head  between  his  hands  to  keep  his  nerves  from  run- 
ning away  with  him. 


227 


I  looked  at  him  and  smiled  but  did  not  reply. 

"Do  you  know  we  have  two  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  freight  here,  and  you  say  we  can  get  into 
New  Orleans  in  two  days?  I  must  be  dreaming." 

"But  have  you  figured  all  the  expenses — bar 
pilotage — river  pilotage,  dockage  and  everything?" 

"No — not  all — but  it  can't  possibly  be  five  hundred 
dollars ;  and  we  can  make  the  round  trip  in  a  week. 
Fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  week,  Ben;  and  they  say 
they  have  enough  timber  to  be  moved  to  keep  us 
going  for  a  year!  Ben,  I'm  dreaming — a  coke- 
eater's  dream — and  if  it  wasn't  for  that  infernal 
Becker  matter,  how  we  could  clean  up!"  He 
charged  about  savagely  as  though  he  had  drunk 
mixed  liquor  and  cocaine. 

"You  were  up  all  last  night;  better  get  some 
sleep,"  I  suggested. 

"Yes,  I  haven't  had  a  real  night's  sleep  for  a  long 
time,"  he  added,  with  a  note  of  sadness,  "and  I 
don't  want  any  yet." 

Elated  with  success,  the  Becker  matter  was  em- 
phasized as  a  knife  in  his  heart,  and  it  was  keeping 
him  away  from  Anna  Bell  Morgan.  Success  has  a 


228 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

way  of  trying  men's  hearts  in  the  most  unexpected 
manner. 

We  made  the  river  as  calculated  and  on  the  sec- 
ond morning  were  fast  to  the  dock  and  the  much 
needed  timber  going  off  as  fast  as  it  went  on.  Al- 
though busy  and  most  of  the  time  reticent,  Hiram, 
Jr.,  never  failed  to  call  my  attention  to  the  numer- 
ous logs  and  floating  trees  in  the  river,  which  he 
insisted  would  make  good  lumber,  and  just  for  the 
taking.  I  hurried  to  our  rooms  as  soon  as  possible 
to  get  my  mail. 

There  I  found  several  notes  of  different  dates 
from  a  man  from  New  York  then  in  New  Orleans 
and  waiting  to  see  me  about  something  very  impor- 
tant. Entirely  in  the  dark  as  to  what  he  wanted,  I 
arranged  by  telephone  and  met  him  at  once  at  the 
Monteleon  Hotel.  I  was  disgusted.  Great  effort, 
loss  of  sleep  and  singleness  of  purpose  to  help 
Hiram,  by  cleaning  up  the  case,  made  the  business 
world  appear  as  the  full  glare  of  a  searchlight  to 
eyes  accustomed  to  thick  darkness.  It  was  about  the 
barrel — he  said  he  had  come  down  from  New  York 
about  it  and  exhibited  one  of  the  samples  I  had  sent 
there.  Bluntly,  he  said: 


229 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"We  want  the  stuff  and  want  you  to  put  a  price 
on  it." 

"But  I  don't  want  to  be  bothered  about  that  stuff 
now."  The  fellow's  lack  of  tact  half  angered  me; 
his  nervous  eagerness  undoubtedly  whetted  by  his 
days  of  waiting  for  me  did  not  fit  in  with  my  mood. 

"Well — we  need  that  color  badly  on  Government 
fabric  orders  and  if  you  refuse  to  put  a  price  on  it 
we  may  have  to  find  another  way,"  he  said,  with 
deliberation  which,  engrossed  as  I  was,  insulted  me. 
His  New  England  drawl  grated  on  me  somehow. 

"Oh,  if  that  is  all  you  want,  I'll  name  a  price — 
you  can  have  it  for  a  hundred  dollars  a  pound,"  I 
said,  rising.  I  knew  I  was  needed  back  on  the  Fear- 
some as  soon  as  possible. 

"Do  you  know  that  the  pre-war  price  of  that  color 
was  about  seventy-five  cents  ?"  he  quietly  asked  me. 

"I  don't  know  what  the  pre-war  price  was,  but 
that  is  our  price  now,"  I  said,  walking  away 
abruptly.  I  felt  that  I  had  much  more  important 
matters  to  consider  then,  and  hurried  down  to  the 
wharf  where  I  supposed  the  Fearsome  was  being 
speedily  unloaded. 

Before  I  got  within  a  thousand  feet  of  where  the 


230 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Fearsome  was  I  knew  something  was  wrong.  The 
boat  was  gone;  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  sat  on  the  end 
of  a  pile  holding  his  head  between  both  hands,  and 
as  I  came  still  nearer  I  noted  there  was  between 
Hiram's  hands  and  head  a  paper  folded  like  a  legal 
document. 

I  had  lately  found  myself  wondering  how  Hiram, 
Jr.,  would  behave  when  Dame  Fortune  landed  her 
knuckles  between  his  eyes  with  a  staggering  blow. 
I  knew  it  had  to  come.  I  had  become  so  attached 
to  him  that  I  dreaded  it  as  one  dreads  to  see  a  lov- 
able child  punished,  though  to  its  manifest  ad- 
vantage. 

He  did  not  say  a  word  or  move  until  I  came  up 
to  him.  There  was  something  of  a  sneer  and  a  con- 
temptuous curl  in  his  face  when  I  looked  the  ques- 
tion I  hesitated  to  ask.  He  sneered  openly  at  the 
Jinx  that  had  come  to  harass  him. 

"Well,  Ben,  I  guess  we  have  made  the  fatal  mis- 
take of  underestimating  the  resources  of  our  ene- 
mies— they've  got  us." 


231 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

HIRAM  still  retained  his  nerve,  but  his  anger  and 
disappointment  had  become  stolid  as  he  handed  me 
the  paper  and  pointed  to  the  Fearsome  across  the 
river — the  tug  still  alongside. 

I  stood  before  him,  astonished  and  silent,  hasti- 
ly examining  the  paper.  It  was  an  injunction  the 
court  had  issued,  restraining  him  from  interfering 
with  the  lawful  owners  of  the  boat  Fearsome,  of 
which  he  had  obtained  possession  by  an  irregular 
and  fraudulent  sale. 

"The  officer  has  just  left,"  Hiram  volunteered. 
"The  captain  and  I  were  on  the  dock  checking  up 
when  the  tug  came  alongside.  I  thought  nothing 
until  they  slipped  our  lines  and  she  was  away  be- 
fore I  could  walk  twenty  feet,"  he  said,  letting  his 
foot  drop  to  the  dock  despondently. 

"Ben,  I  thought  we  had  a  right — she  was  sold  for 
crew's  wages.  We  had  nothing  to  do  with  that. 
We  only  bid  her  in,"  he  began,  but  with  no  note  of 
censure,  although  I  had  attended  to  that  detail. 


232 


ZOO  MYSTERY 


"We  h,         Know  that" 

"And  b*s  any  one  tne  r'£nt  to 

g^'  he  asked,  suppressing  his  fierceness. 

"They  have  her  now  in  their  possession  and  you 
are  enjoined  by  the  court  from  interfering,"  I  said, 
half  io  myself,  trying  to  think  if  I  had  heard  of  any 
hint  of  this  procedure. 

"Ben,  do  you  suppose  it  is  the  Becker  crowd — 
have  they  got  wind  of  our  plan,  and  are  they  doing 
this?"  he  asked,  with  wonderful  self-possession. 

"It  may  be,  Hiram,  but  I  doubt  it — I  am  afraid 
the  owners  have  shown  up  and  are  trying  to  regain 
their  property  in  this  way,  alleging  an  irregular  sale. 
They  had  to  make  some  such  showing  to  get  the  in- 
junction." 

"What  can  we  do?"  he  snapped  at  me,  as  though 
becoming  incensed  at  my  deliberation. 

"My  boy — when  passing  amid  rocks  the  captain 
must " 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Ben — you  can  understand," 
he  said  quickly. 

"Whether  they  are  right  or  wrong  to  fight  the 
courts  means  months'  and  perhaps  years'  delay — the 
only  thing  possible  is  to  compromise." 


233 


THE  YAZOO  MY 


"We  must  eat  out  of  their  ha^  3en?"  he 
started  to  heat  up  anew.  We  were  so  ^tent  that 
we  did  not  notice  the  approach  of  a  quiet,  *niddle- 
aged  man  who  asked  very  politely  for  "Mr.  Strong." 

"Mr.  Strong,  I  come  from  the  office  of  the  plain- 
tiffs' attorneys.  They  have  decided  that  the/  do 
not  wish  to  interfere  with  the  unloading  of  freight 
for  the  Government,  and  we  will  bring  the  Fearsome 
alongside  and  let  the  cargo  be  discharged,  provided 
you  or  the  captain  do  not  go  aboard  her — that  is, 
not  to  attempt  to  dispute  our  possession." 

"I  was  wondering  how  they  were  going  to  get 
away  with  that,"  Hiram  jerked  out  impulsively. 

"No,  sir — we  don't  want  to  interfere  that  way — • 
and  more,  Mr.  Strong,  I  am  to  say  that  if  you  will 
come  to  our  office  possibly  something  can  be  ar- 
ranged." 

Then  it  was  that  impulsive  youth  and  inexperi- 
ence burst  out,  and  while  I  was  glad  to  hear  him 
say  it,  I  knew  it  was  indiscreet.  It  was  perhaps 
just  what  the  Gold-Beater  would  have  said  at  his 
age,  and,  in  his  present  power,  likely  to  do  so  now  : 

"You  can  tell  the  attorneys  for  the  plaintiffs  to  go 


234 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

to  hell,"  he  said,  springing  to  his  feet.  "This  is  plain 
stealing  and  there's  a  penitentiary  for  them.  No — 
we  won't  go  aboard;  that  timber  must  come  ashore," 
and  he  posted  off  to  get  the  crew  of  longshoremen 
to  work  at  unloading  again. 

The  quiet,  polite  man  from  the  attorneys'  office 
remarked  to  me:  "The  young  man  shows  consid- 
erable mettle.  If  you  are  interested  you  had  bet- 
ter come  down  to  the  office,"  handing  me  the  firm's 
card  and  departing. 

In  another  half-hour  the  Fearsome  was  in  full 
mourning,  black  longshoremen  swarming  over  it 
and  the  edge  of  the  dock,  but  the  tug  remained 
lashed  alongside.  The  long  timber,  sawed  ten  by 
ten  and  twelve  by  twelve,  seemed  to  have  some 
means  of  locomotion  as  though  anxious  to  get  on 
the  wharf.  I  could  see  Hiram  had  a  way  of  getting 
things  done. 

During  this  time  I  sat  on  the  end  of  the  pile 
where  I  had  found  him  and  watched  the  operation, 
thinking  that  my  job  was  getting  rather  strenuous. 
I  was  as  completely  in  the  dark  as  to  this  last  move 
as  was  Hiram. 


235 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Presently  he  came  over  to  me.  He  had  evidently 
been  both  working  and  thinking  hard. 

"Say,  do  you  still  think  this  move  is  made  by 
the  owners  to  get  value  for  their  property,  or  is  it 
a  rascally  deal  to  block  us  ?"  he  asked  doggedly. 

"I  don't  know — it  may  be  one  or  the  other,  or 
even  both — anyhow  it's  our  next  move." 

Hiram  rubbed  his  stubbly  chin  with  one  hand  and 
then  the  other,  and  looked  at  the  Fearsome  as  though 
in  some  way  it  had  become  a  part  of  him. 

"Somehow  I  feel  it  is  the  owners — perhaps  this 
is  the  only  way  they  could  proceed — of  course,  she 
is  worth  twenty  times  what  we  paid — if  it  is,  they 
ought  to  be  reasonable.  The  Fearsome  lying  out 
there  rotting,  without  power,  and  the  Fearsome  with 
power  and  at  work,  is  very  different,  but  they  may 
rightfully  expect  more  than  the  crew's  back  wages." 

I  nodded  assent,  wondering  where  his  line  of  rea- 
soning would  lead. 

"Now  it  may  be  only  money  they  want — as  soon 
as  this  load  is  out  of  her  we  can  collect  two  thousand 
freight — and,  Ben — you — you  have  not  said  any- 
thing lately  about  that  barrel — is  it  possible  to  sell 
that  now?  Whatever  it  will  bring  will  come  in 


236 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

handy  to  get  time  enough  to  pay  this  claim — there's 
lots  of  timber  up  there  and  they  want  it  moved. 
If  we  can  get  enough  help  I  believe  we  can  make 
two  trips  a  week  instead  of  one.  Three  thousand 
a  week  will  soon  wipe  them  out — and  sooner  or 
later  we've  got  to  pay  the  railroad  for  that  motor." 

"But,  Hiram,  what  about  Becker  &  Co.?  We 
started  out  to  get  into  their  place  and  we  must  not 
lose  sight  of  that  now." 

"I  know — I  know — but  if  these  men  mean  to  be 
fair  they  must  allow  us  time.  Ben,  you  are  a  bet- 
ter diplomat;  go  down  and  see  these  attorneys." 

"All  right,  I'll  go  at  once — also  I'll  see  what  I 
can  do  with  the  barrel  of  steel  filings,"  I  said,  rising 
with  a  smile,  and  digging  him  in  the  ribs  jokingly — 
he  was  in  good  humor  now.  But  it  occurred  to  me 
that  in  my  shabby  treatment  of  the  prospective  buy- 
er I  had  been  as  indiscreet  as  Hiram  when  he  in- 
vited the  attorneys  to  brimstone  land,  whereas  they 
possibly  meant  well  enough. 

Hiram  did  not  smile,  but  I  was  sure  he  felt  a 
little  relieved  at  my  attitude  when  I  left,  intending 
to  hunt  up  my  caller  from  New  York,  who  empha- 


237 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

sized  the  first  syllable  of  Bos'ton  as  though  born  to 
the  manner  of  speech  used  in  that  great  eastern  port. 

On  my  way  back  to  the  rooms  to  clean  up  a  bit, 
I  decided  to  see  the  attorneys  first,  and  was  con- 
siderably irritated  to  find  the  man  after  our  barrel 
standing  at  the  foot  of  my  stairs,  waiting  sentry- 
like  for  me  as  though  I  had  committed  a  crime. 
Something  about  the  undersized  fellow  aggravated 
me,  though  I  knew  I  had  great  need  of  him  now. 
The  impulse  was  strong  upon  me  to  put  my  foot 
on  his  stomach  and  shove  him  across  the  street  into 
a  curio  shop.  I  was  sure  he  wanted  that  barrel  of 
color,  but  I  didn't  like  his  face.  If  I  didn't  sell  it 
to  him  I  could  elsewhere,  so  I  was  obdurate.  One 
hundred  dollars  per  pound,  cash,  current  funds  in 
hand,  take  it  or  leave  it,  but  say  so  quick,  was  all 
he  could  get  out  of  me,  as  I  kept  thinking  all  the 
time  of  the  necessity  of  washing  up  and  getting 
over  to  see  the  attorneys. 

He  finally  took  me  to  his  bankers,  who  told  me 
his  credit  was  practically  unlimited  with  them,  then 
he  said  he  would  take  it  on  my  terms.  We  went 
to  the  warehouse,  got  the  barrel  and  weighed  it  care- 


238 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

fully.  He  even  paid  me  for  the  odd  ounces  and  it 
was  not  until  we  went  back  to  the  bank  and  the 
money  was  actually  in  my  possession,  that  I  realized 
the  size  of  the  transaction.  He  then  told  me  it 
was  a  very  rare  color  and  that  only  a  small  amount 
was  required  for  blending,  which  was  the  reason 
they  could  pay  so  much. 

It  took  most  of  the  day,  but  I  did  have  time  to 
go  to  the  attorney's  office,  and  begin  more  jockeying 
for  position.  I  soon  learned  they  wanted  money,  not 
the  boat,  were  even  willing  to  take  it  on  the  excite- 
ment  plan,  as  Hiram  suggested.  It  was  worth  more 
but  they  would  take  twenty  thousand  dollars.  I 
thought  they  were  distinctly  disappointed  when  I  of- 
fered cash. 

I  obtained  some  allowance  for  what  we  paid  at 
the  sale.  I  then  returned  to  the  rooms  with  a  bill 
of  sale  for  the  vessel,  knowing  it  would  not  be 
long  before  Hiram  would  come.  I  felt  disposed  to 
laugh.  Some  one's  plans  had  miscarried. 

I  heard  his  step  on  the  first  stair.  He  came  up 
this  time  one  step  at  a  time,  as  though  carrying 
weights  on  each  foot,  and  when  he  came  in  I  saw 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

he  was  tired  and  hungry,  but  mystified  and  still 
fighting. 

He  came  by  way  of  his  room,  through  the  com- 
municating door,  into  my  room,  where  I  was  busy 
looking  over  a  considerable  mail,  placed  a  chair  back 
toward  me,  sat  down  on  it  reverse  way,  resting  his 
arms  on  the  back,  let  fall  his  big  unshaven  chin 
and  looked  from  under  the  visor  of  his  cap  like  a 
young  lion  ready  to  spring. 

"Ben,  you  old  dog,  what  have  you  been  doing?" 
quick  to  gather  assurance  from  my  attitude.  "Just 
before  I  left  the  dock  the  tug  and  all  the  men  left, 
saying  they  were  through  so  far  as  they  knew." 

"Yes,  the  Fearsome  is  released,  and  all  claims 
against  it  settled." 

"Yes — yes — but  how  did  you  do  it?"  he  de- 
manded. 

Somehow  at  that  moment  it  occurred  to  me  that 
it  might  be  best  to  tell  the  whole  incredible  story 
of  the  sale  of  the  barrel  of  color  which  had  been  a 
standing  joke  between  us.  It  was  one  of  those 
extremely  rare  things  that  could  happen  only  in  war 
times,  and  I  thought  the  flog  of  resistance  better  for 
him  than  the  stimulant  of  easy  success. 


240 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Well,  I  induced  them  to  cut  their  claim  down 
some " 

"Yes — yes,"  he  interrupted;  "get  to  the  point 
— how  did  you  do  it?" 

"Well,"  I  began  again,  "this  morning  I  was  too 
busy  to  tell  you  that  a  man  came  all  the  way  from 
New  York  to  buy  our  barrel  of  steel  filings, — he's 
been  waiting  about  all  the  time  we  have  been  gone 
on  our  trip — when  I  got  through  with  him  I  had 
enough  money  to  release  the  Fearsome  and " 

"Ben,"  he  interrupted,  his  eyes  glittering,  "you 
are  an  infernal — no,  I  won't  say  liar,  because  I  don't 
believe  you  would  lie — but  you  are  romancing  now 
to  make  me  feel  good,  but " 

"All  right,  then,  have  it  your  way — all  you  need 
to  know  is  that  the  Fearsome  is  released  and  you 
are  free  to  do  with  her  as  you  like — but  just  now  I 
advise  a  shave  for  you  and  some  stimulating  food 
— for  instance  a  beefsteak  as  big  as " 

"Ben,  it's  got  to  be  as  big  as  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire  this  time  and  as  thick  as  the  crust  of 
the  earth "  He  interrupted  himself  by  spring- 
ing over  the  chair,  as  I  thought  to  thump  me  on  the 
back,  but  instead  he  grabbed  my  hand  affectionate- 


241 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ly.  He  craved  relief  from  a  long  strain ;  my  infor- 
mation took  effect  upon  him  like  the  champagne  he 
used  to  take,  and  at  that  moment  refused  to  con- 
sider what  it  cost  or  its  ultimate  effect. 


242 


CHAPTER  XXV 

WE  both  cleaned  up  a  bit  and  went  out  to  dinner. 
I  found  he  had  done  a  good  deal  of  planning.  He 
knew  what  he  wanted  but  did  not  know  exactly  how 
to  get  it.  He  was  firm  in  the  plan  of  getting  the  saw- 
mill we  had  seen  in  the  unclaimed  freight  house 
onto  the  deck  of  the  Fearsome  and  going  up  the 
river  for  the  double  purpose  of  making  lumber  from 
the  "floaters,"  but  most  of  all  to  have  an  excuse  for 
getting  into  Becker  &  Co.'s  plant.  He  was  very 
sober  most  of  the  time,  even  morose,  but  occasion- 
ally his  youthful  buoyancy  and  humor  would  break 
out  in  the  most  surprising  and  delightful  way. 

We  canvassed  the  details  of  using  the  motor  to 
run  the  saw,  and  decided  that  we  would  try  it  the 
next  day. 

"But,  Hiram,  suppose  the  timber  people  insist  on 
your  going  back  for  another  load  ?  They  can  force 
you." 

"They  know,  or  think,  we  are  still  tied  up  with 
litigation.  Besides — can't  you  explain  to  some  one 


243 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

— a  few  days  will  turn  the  trick,"  he  reasoned. 
" After  we  get  Becker  we  may  want  to  see  them  as 
badly  as  they  want  to  see  us,"  he  added,  with  an  eye 
for  the  main  chance. 

"Hiram,  have  you  seen  or  heard  from  Anna  Bell 
Morgan?"  I  asked  suddenly  to  surprise  him. 

"No,  I  haven't — but  as  the  time  approaches — and 
you  know  it  is  coming — when  I  can  go  back  to  her 
with  clean  hands,  I  feel  as  though  I  can  hardly 
contain  myself.  That's  what  keeps  me  up  and 
doing ;  of  course,  I  want  to  make  out  the  Gold-Beat- 
er  as  a  damned  poor  prophet  about  my  future,  but 
the  main  thing  is  her.  Do  you  know,  I  actually  feel 
her  beside  me  urging  me  on  and  making  me  do 
things.  It  will  be  my  happiest  day  when  I  can  go 
back  to  her  clean — actually  clean."  While  he  spoke 
he  was  digging  away  at  the  remnants  of  the  great 
steak  he  had  consumed,  and  for  the  first  time  I  saw 
the  harbingers  of  real  manhood  as  he  looked  at  me 
through  eyes  unabashed  and  unashamed. 

The  next  day  was  a  very  busy  one.  He  collected 
his  freight  and  we  moved  the  Fearsome  to  dock  near 
the  unclaimed  freight  house.  I  arranged  with 
Superintendent  Kitchell  by  telephone  to  take  the 


244 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

sawmill,  and  by  night  it  was  bolted  to  the  deck,  with 
power  from  the  motor  applied.  A  derrick  with  out- 
rigging,  so  that  a  log  could  be  grappled  and  brought 
to  the  deck  by  power,  and  laid  on  the  saw  carriage 
to  be  solidly  locked  down  for  its  terrible  shining 
fangs  that  become  invisible  in  full  career,  moving 
through  a  dirty,  slimy  log. 

"Yes,"  Superintendent  Kitchell  had  said  to  me 
when  I  asked  him  about  my  clerk,  "I  have  taken 
Miss  Bascom  into  my  private  office  and  found  work 
for  her  there — perfectly  safe  any  time  you  want 
her,"  he  assured  me,  after  getting  a  brief  account 
of  our  progress. 

At  the  first  sign  of  daylight  the  next  morning  we 
left  the  dock  with  our  queer  looking  craft  and  start- 
ed up  the  river.  Through  an  employment  agency 
Hiram  had  secured  three  additional  men,  a  sawyer 
and  two  laborers. 

Hiram's  interest  amounted  to  intense  excitement 
when  the  first  log  was  cut.  He  had  waited  until 
he  saw  an  unusually  promising  one  go  through.  One 
of  the  laborers  rowed  to  it,  fastened  the  grapples 
and  it  seemed  to  want  to  come  aboard,  as  though 
tired  of  life  in  the  river,  and  there  it  lay  quietly, 


245 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

without  one  flinch  before  the  saw  that  passed 
through  it.  The  sawyer  understood  his  business, 
four  slab  cuts  were  made  skillfully,  the  log  squared 
and  finally  reduced  to  wide,  clean,  inch  boards  and 
stored  below  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  Hiram  found 
it  hard  to  contain  himself.  His  intense  joy  and  ela- 
tion threatened  his  dignity.  He  had  made  some- 
thing useful,  valuable,  beautiful,  with  the  delicate 
odor  of  the  spring  woods,  from  hitherto  waste  ma- 
terial. I  knew  what  would  have  happened  had 
we  been  alone.  He  would  have  tried  to  throw  on 
me  his  now  brawny  person  and  pummel  me  from 
sheer  exuberance. 

"Ben,"  he  said,  in  a  tense  undertone,  "over  five 
hundred  feet  of  lumber  in  that  log  that  they  will 
mob  us  to  get  at  five  cents  a  foot."  I  knew  he 
wanted  to  cut  a  big  caper  and  cavort.  "Twenty- 
five  dollars,  Ben,  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  Say, 
if  Becker  don't  fall  for  cheap  lumber — well,  we'll 
get  him  sure  with  such  bait,  and  the  bayou  back 
of  his  place  is  full  of  logs — we  won't  be  there  an 
hour  before  he  comes  for  it — just  you  watch.  We 
can  be  there  by  to-morrow  morning,"  he  went  on, 
his  eyes  roaming  the  river  on  both  sides  for  another 


246 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

good  log  that  had  eluded  the  lumber  men  in  the  long 
reaches  of  the  Mississippi  as  far  back  as  the  Great 
Lakes. 

That  night  we  tied  up  at  a  bank  across  the  river 
and  a  little  below  Becker  &  Co.'s  plant.  It  had  been 
a  busy  day  and  every  one  except  Hiram  was  tired 
and  glad  to  stop  for  supper.  I  was  sitting  aft  smok- 
ing when  I  noticed  him  come  up  from  below,  look- 
ing for  me. 

"I've  been  down  taking  stock  and  checking 
up  the  day,"  he  began,  squatting  down  before  me 
on  his  heels,  keeping  his  pipe  in  his  mouth.  "We 
captured  just  thirty-nine  logs,  you  know  a  few  of 
them  had  rotten  centers,  but  we've  got  over  twenty 
thousand  feet  of  clear  lumber  besides  nearly  three 
thousand  feet  of  culls.  Figure  it  out  at  fifty 
dollars — it's  worth  more  delivered — eleven  hundred 
dollars — first  day — all  amateurs — we've  got  the  big 
idea  working." 

"Why  do  you  say  we,  Hiram?  I  claim  no  credit 
or  interest  or  wages;  I'm  paid — it  is  your  plan — 
don't  be  so  modest." 

"Yes,  I  did  get  the  idea  of  capturing  this  waste, 
but  how  far  would  I  have  got  alone — a  hundred 


247 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

and  twenty-five  dollars  per  from  the  railroad  and  a 
certainty  of  being  accused  of  stealing.  In  a  thousand 
years  I  never  will  be  charged  with  ingratitude — if 
we  win,  you've  got " 

"The  weak  spot,  Hiram,  is  that  you  will  soon 
clean  the  river  of  logs,  and  then  what  ?  Sit  still  and 
wait  for  the  once-a-year  highwater  to  bring  them 
down?"  I  asked,  interrupting  him  purposely. 

"Wait  till  we  get  Becker  over  there,"  he  said, 
suddenly  sobering  and  looking  across  the  river,  but 
making  no  other  sign — something  as  a  wolf  looks 
at  his  prey  within  easy  reach.  "It's  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  here  to  the  Gulf  and  lots  of  logs 
all  the  way.  But  with  our  big  job  done,  once  get 
actually  free,  and  we  run  out  of  logs,  something 
will  turn  up;  in  fact  I've  got  another  idea  hatch- 
ing. Do  you  see  the  foundation  he  has  started  over 
there?  That's  why  he  must  have  lumber.  Doesn't 
his  plant  remind  you  of  a  quarantine  station — or  a 
pest  house?"  He  asked  this  question  as  though  he 
did  not  expect  an  answer. 


248 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  next  morning  it  occurred  to  me  that,  while 
our  plans  were  made  with  great  care,  the  weak  point 
was,  that  if  Becker  himself  was  at  the  plant  he 
might  recognize  either  of  us.  I  mentioned  this  to 
Hiram,  and  for  once  since  I  had  met  him  he  laughed 
loud  and  long. 

"I  don't  believe  your  mother  would  recognize  you 
in  that  greasy,  dirt-soaked,  bifurcated  night  dress 
you  wear,"  he  yelled  at  me,  "and  the  work  you  owe 
the  barber,  too;  but  look  at  me — I  am  worse  yet, 
covered  with  mud  and  slime.  Besides,  I  don't  be- 
lieve Becker  ever  had  a  good  look  at  me,  and  if  he 
did  he  couldn't  pick  me  out  as  different  from  any 
other  deckhand  now,"  he  said,  grinning.  Then  he 
looked  himself  over,  at  his  muddy  shoes,  browned 
hands,  long  hair  and  unshaved  face,  and  it  did  seem 
to  him  as  though,  without  effort,  during  the  past 
few  days,  he  had  prepared  a  genuine  disguise. 
Nevertheless  we  decided  it  would  be  safe  to  allow 
Captain  Marianna  to  be  the  spokesman,  although 


249 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

the  captain  should  be  kept  in  the  dark  concerning 
our  real  designs.  Marianna  should  sell  Becker 
lumber,  cheap  for  cash,  if  he  bit  at  our  bait. 

We  sawed  one  or  two  logs,  then  crossed  the  river 
and  began  working  up  the  stream  toward  the  bayou 
back  of  Becker's  plant,  apparently  with  no  more 
interest  in  it  than  if  it  had  been  a  cemetery.  The 
bayou  was,  just  as  Hiram  said,  full  of  logs — 
enough  to  keep  us  there  for  a  day  at  least. 

By  the  noon  hour  we  had  worked  pretty  well  into 
the  bayou  and  in  back  of  the  big  fertilizer  factory, 
with  no  apparent  attention  from  it  other  than  a  ter- 
rible offense  to  our  nostrils.  If  Becker  was  there 
he  did  not  show  himself  and  it  began  to  look  as  if 
we  would  have  to  make  overtures. 

But  when  we  had  suspended  operations  for  noon- 
time, a  negro  with  a  boat  made  out  from  the  Beck- 
er place  and  came  alongside.  He  clambered  on  our 
deck,  but  no  one  paid  any  attention  to  him. 

"I  wants  to  see  de  boss,"  said  he  to  one  of  our 
blacks  resting  well  aft. 

"You  wants  to  see  de  Captain?  He's  up  dere 
somewhares  aroun'  de  wheel-house."  We  over- 


250 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

heard  this  inquiry  and  the  answer  with  great  interest. 
This  was  likely  to  be  the  first  nibble  at  our  bait. 

When  the  captain  was  pointed  out  he  acted  well 
the  part  of  a  trader  who  had  desirable  goods  with 
a  liberal  demand,  but  evidenced  little  interest  in  the 
emissary  who  approached  him  hat  in  hand. 

"Is  you  de  cap'm?" 

"Yes,  me  da  capitan,"  Marianna  replied,  assum- 
ing strong  Italian  accent  without  effort. 

"Yas'sa — yas'sa,"  the  darky  echoed,  looking 
about  the  boat,  wet,  dirty  and  littered  with  bark, 
slabs,  and  sawdust.  "My  boss,  Mista  Becka,  wants 
to  know — would  like  to  know,"  he  corrected,  "if 
you  kain't  cum  ashore  to  see  him." 

"Whata  yo'  boss  want? — we  start  upa  quick, 
gotta  not  much  time." 

"Wai,  he  did'n  zactly  say,  but  I  done  reckon  as 
how  he  wants  to  see  you  'bout  somp'n  pa'tic'lar." 

"Go  back,  tella  da  boss  we  starta  to  work  soon — 
I  talka  with  him  here  after  we  getta  da  start,"  the 
captain  said,  pointing  toward  the  deck. 

"Yas,  I'll  tell  him  dat,"  replied  the  negro,  fidget- 
ing as  though  his  mission  had  been  a  failure,  but 
immediately  started  for  his  boat. 


251 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"You  tella  heern  we  be  here  alia  day;  he  come 
any  time,"  Marianna  called  to  him  as  he  rowed 
away. 

In  about  an  hour  the  negro  made  out  again,  but 
this  time  he  had  the  bulky  figure  of  the  man  we 
wanted  to  see  above  all  others.  Of  course,  while  we 
were  running  I  had  to  stand  by  the  engine  below 
constantly,  while  Hiram,  anticipating  Becker's  visit, 
had  taken  to  a  boat  ostensibly  to  look  over  the  logs 
carefully  before  fastening  the  grapples  that  brought 
them  aboard. 

Becker  had  not  been  aboard  long  before  it  was 
clear  that  Hiram  had  planned  better  than  he  knew. 
There  is  something  about  a  saw  in  full  career  that 
the  most  blase  cannot  resist.  He  stood  watching  it 
for  some  time.  A  huge  wet  and  mud-laden  log 
was  hauled  aboard,  laid  on  the  carriage,  where  steel 
teeth  clenched  it  down.  In  a  twinkling  four  side 
slabs  came  off  and  it  was  transformed  into  a  square 
timber,  clean  and  white,  in  strange  contrast  to  the 
slimy  thing  it  had  been  but  a  moment  before.  Then 
the  whirling  teeth  began  to  travel  through  it  with 
an  ease  that  suggested  a  much  softer  material,  lay- 
ing out  inch  boards  which  disappeared  below. 


252 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Captain  Marianna  brought  him  below  to  see  the 
stock  on  hand,  and  it  seemed  to  fill  the  bill,  but  as 
he  was  leaving  our  big  motor  attracted  his  atten- 
tion. Becker  was  not  the  debonaire  Lothario  he 
affected  to  be  when  in  New  Orleans.  Now  sadly 
unkempt,  it  seemed  to  me  that  his  great  midriff 
exuded  grease,  but  it  might  have  been  sweat. 

He  was  greatly  interested  in  learning  how  the 
big  motor,  originally  intended  for  an  air-plane,  not 
only  propelled  a  boat  and  ran  a  sawmill,  but  yanked 
in  the  logs,  and  hauled  in  our  rigging. 

He  finally  came  over  to  where  I  stood  trying 
my  best  to  look  bored  and  tired. 

"Do  you  ever  have  any  trouble  with  it?"  he  asked, 
jerkily  pointing  a  pudgy  thumb  toward  the  motor. 

"Xo-o-o — but  of  course  it's  got  to  be  watched." 

"I've  got  one  over  there  running  an  ice  machine, 
but  I  don't  know  whether  its  the  nigger  I've  got 
running  it,  or  whether  it's  overloaded,  or  no  good, 
but  it  makes  lots  of  trouble."  I  could  see  he  wished 
to  get  some  free  technical  instruction. 

"It's  likely  your  man  doesn't  know  all  about  it,"  I 
led  him  on. 


253 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Our  talk  ended  in  my  promise  to  go  ashore  that 
night  and  take  a  look  at  it. 

Yes,  he  wanted  lumber  and  the  captain's  price 
seemed  satisfactory.  In  addition  he  wanted  some 
lumber  sawed  half  an  inch  thick  for  crating — and 
more — he  would  like  to  have  all  the  sawdust  we 
could  save  for  him.  He  needed  it  in  some  insulating 
work  on  a  cooler  room — so  he  said. 

That  night  we  were  to  come  alongside  his  wharf 
and  he  would  have  his  negroes  unload  during  the 
night  what  lumber  we  had  so  we  would  lose  no  time 
next  morning. 

"Oh,  yes,  I've  got  lots  of  niggers  to  do  it,"  he 
explained  when  leaving. 

When  Hiram  heard  of  the  turn  things  had  taken 
he  could  hardly  contain  himself.  He  acted  like  a 
man  who  had  been  in  a  dungeon  for  months  and 
suddenly  caught  a  glimmer  of  light.  As  for  myself, 
I  saw  only  that  we  were  near  ing  the  end  of  a  very 
unpleasant  bit  of  investigation. 

"Be  careful,  Hiram,"  I  cautioned,  "the  least  bad 
move  will  spoil  it.  This  man  has  a  low  cunning- 
hypnotize  yourself  into  thinking  it  is  not  of  much 


254 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

importance  and  you  have  a  year  to  do  it.  A  show  of 
haste  will  be  fatal." 

Hiram  was  quick  to  see  the  point  and  began  to 
grin.  I  knew  he  was  about  ready  to  jump  out  of 
his  skin  with  excitement. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  he,  "it  is  now  only  a  little 
after  two  and  we  have  sawed  more  logs  and  made 
more  good  lumber  than  we  did  all  day  yesterday!" 
Evidently  he  was  trying  to  control  himself.  "The 
sawyer  tells  me  he  must  have  nice  clear  logs  to 
make  half-inch  lumber  on  Becker's  order.  I  guess 
I'll  spend  the  afternoon  picking  them  out." 

It  took  longer  than  we  thought  to  work  our  way 
out  of  the  bayou  and  up  to  Becker's  floating  wharf. 
As  soon  as  we  were  tied  up  he  came  down  with  a 
lot  of  negroes,  who  began  at  once  to  unload  the 
lumber,  carrying  it  piece  by  piece  back  near  his 
building  operations.  Captain  Marianna  checked  it 
as  it  left. 

Now  on  the  windward  side  of  the  plant  it  was 
possible  to  eat.  It  was  a  long  rambling  building, 
painted  the  color  of  a  freight  car,  occasionally  ris- 
ing to  two  stories;  on  one  end  were  the  posts  driven 
in  the  ground  for  a  considerable  addition. 


255 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

After  supper  we  sat  smoking,  well  up  on  the 
bank.  It  soon  became  evident  that  Becker  did  not 
intend  to  lose  a  chance  to  get  expert  advice  on  his 
gas-engine  troubles.  He  waddled  over  to  us  with 
some  real  Havanas  and  with  little  tact  reminded  me 
of  my  promise. 

Though  the  sun  was  low,  Becker  was  still  in  his 
working  togs,  bareheaded  and  stripped  to  an  under- 
shirt. In  this  array  he  was  a  sight  to  behold,  with 
his  sagging  jowls,  from  which  great  billows  of  fat 
formed  rolls  about  his  neck. 

"This  boy  here  is  my  assistant,  Mr.  Becker — he 
has  found  engine  trouble  even  when  I  couldn't,"  I 
said,  pointing  toward  Hiram,  as  we  got  up  to  go 
with  him. 

How  vitally  interested  Hiram  was  in  this  move 
would  be  hard  to  estimate.  Much  more  experienced, 
I  could  only  contain  myself  and  be  natural  by  re- 
fusing to  think  of  the  tremendous  importance  of 
our  acting  now,  and,  without  coaching,  I  think 
Hiram  did  the  same  thing.  The  slightest  false  move 
would  render  worse  than  useless  planning  that  had 
consumed  much  time  and  large  expenditure. 

Hiram  walked  beside  Becker  as  nonchalantly  as 


256 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

though  strolling  along  Broadway,  while  I  followed 
slightly  in  the  rear.  Hiram's  now  wonderfully  de- 
veloped physique  seemed  ready  for  action,  ready  to 
break  loose  with  overpowering  ferocity.  I  watched 
him  furtively  out  of  the  corner  of  an  eye  to  make 
sure  he  did  not  precipitate  an  affair  that  would 
"spill  the  beans." 

Becker  led  us  around  the  outside  of  the  build- 
ings— I  was  sure  there  was  a  short  cut  through  them 
• — to  a  lean-to  shed  containing  the  troublesome  en- 
gine now  laboring  with  its  burden  as  a  locomotive 
starting  to  move  an  overload. 

"Ben,  the  engine  is  overcrowded,"  said  Hiram,  as 
we  stood  by  it,  addressing  himself  to  me  just  loud 
enough  for  Becker  to  hear.  Becker  stood  slightly 
apart  from  me  as  though  he  had  turned  a  patient 
over  to  us  for  the  time  being.  I  was  glad  his  big 
black  engineer  was  not  there.  My  policy  was  never 
to  kill,  but  my  duty  was  to  get  what  I  went  after. 

We  spent  ten  minutes  examining  the  details  of 
the  engine,  narrowly  watched  by  Becker.  Hiram's 
conduct  was  wonderful.  He  acted  as  though  there 
was  nothing  under  Heaven  or  on  earth  that  inter- 
ested him  so  much  as  discovering  how  we  could  help 


257 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

cure  the  sick  motor.  We  asked  to  see  the  load  on 
the  driving  belt  that  disappeared  from  the  driving 
pulley  through  a  board  partition. 

Becker,  fairly  assured,  took  us  inside  into  a  dark 
space  to  a  ten-ton  ice  machine,  developing  about 
half  its  capacity  because  of  slow  speed. 

Glancing  about  it  for  a  moment,  we  returned  to 
the  engine  room  and  went  outside  as  though  about 
to  return  to  the  dock,  considering  it  a  hopeless  case. 
Becker  followed  us,  greatly  concerned. 

"Mr.  Becker,  it  is  a  plain  case  of  overload ;  you 
must  lighten  the  work  of  your  ice  machine.  You 
are  attempting  to  make  the  motor  do  too  much. 
The  engine  might  be  helped  a  little  by  readjusting, 
but  that  would  not  be  enough,"  I  said,  with  a  sort 
of  hesitating  finality,  as  we  both  edged  away  in  the 
direction  we  had  come. 

Becker  followed  and  came  close  up  beside  us. 

"How  can  I  do  that  ? — you  see  I  am  so  far  away 
up  here  I  can  get  no  one  to  do  such  things,"  he 
pleaded. 

"The  only  way  is  to  reduce  the  circulating  dis- 
tance of  the  ammonia  mixture,  and  then  what  you 


258 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

have  left  will  cool  more  space  than  it  does  now,"  I 
said,  actually  feeling  sure  that  was  the  case. 

"How  can  I  do  that  ?"  he  urged,  noticing  quickly 
our  inclination  to  leave. 

"That  might  be  very  easy  or  it  might  be  quite  a 
job.  We  could  not  tell  without  examining  your 
piping  system,"  I  replied  as  one  who  had  done  a 
big  day's  work  and  was  thinking  more  of  sleep  than 
of  his  troubles,  particularly  since  he  had  not  of- 
fered us  anything  to  remedy.  Becker  had  enough 
sense  to  see  this. 

He  screwed  up  his  face  in  a  way  that  brought 
prodigious  wrinkles  upon  his  forehead.  Then  fol- 
lowed an  attempt  to  be  patronizingly  generous. 

"Boys,  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  I  know  you've 
been  working  all  day  and  are  tired,  but  if  you  will 
take  time  enough  to  look  the  whole  system  over 
and  help  it  some,  I  will  give  you  five  dollars  apiece 
— I  must  do  something  or  I  will  have  a  lot  of  stuff 
spoiled — in  fact,  I  have  had  some  spoil  already," 
he  ended  half  to  himself. 

Hiram  glanced  at  me  quickly,  and  Becker  thought 
that  this  swift  movement  to  take  down  his  pipe 
was  caused  by  the  lure  of  his  cash  offer. 


259 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

WE  spent  two  hours  examining  the  remotest  part 
of  the  refrigerating  plant,  piloted  and  aided  at  first 
by  Becker.  As  it  grew  darker  he  furnished  us  with 
a  torch.  By  this  time  we  had  made  certain  adjust- 
ments to  the  engine,  the  necessity  of  which  we  had 
noted  on  first  inspection,  and  left  it  running  merrily 
away  with  its  load  like  a  horse  relieved  of  a  chok- 
ing collar.  Becker  saw  this,  gave  five  dollars  to  each 
of  us,  and  after  the  fashion  of  a  boor,  tried  to  ap- 
pear grateful.  Then  he  paid  cash  for  all  the  lumber 
now  stacked  on  the  bank,  with  the  understanding 
we  were  to  bring  as  much  more,  after  which  he  left 
us  to  go,  as  he  thought,  to  our  beds.  But  that  was 
not  our  plan ;  we  had  work  ahead  of  too  much  im- 
portance to  think  of  sleep. 

While  we  were  making  the  examination  of  a  large 
part  of  Becker's  plant,  for  that  is  what  it  amounted 
to,  Hiram  controlled  himself  and  behaved  like  a 
veteran,  but  at  times  I  think  he  shrewdly  guessed 
that  I  displayed  more  skill  than  an  amateur.  In 


260 


fact,  I  was  so  mightily  interested  in  the  outcome 
that  I  made  no  attempt  to  disguise  the  fact  that 
under  the  guise  of  gasfitter,  steamfitter,  electrician, 
or  refrigeration  expert,  I  had  gained  access  to  the 
very  bowels  of  buildings  and  manufacturing  plants 
for  a  similar  purpose. 

When  Becker  had  gone  Hiram  presented  a  cu- 
rious combination — elation  and  disappointment.  He 
fairly  trembled  now  with  suppressed  excitement.  He 
turned  fiercely  upon  me  and  whispered  hoarsely : 

"Ben,  we  got  a  lot,  but  not  the  most  important. 
We  didn't  find  the  seals,  did  we?"  He  asked  this  in 
a  suppressed  tone,  but  not  until  he  had  gone  for- 
ward to  make  sure  all  the  crew  were  on  deck  and 
asleep.  Captain  Marianna  was  snoring  loudly  in 
the  pilot  house. 

"No — but  all  those  hams,  dried  meat — horse- 
meat — and  tubs  of  lard — renderings  from  dead  ani- 
mals— were  freshly  stamped,  'Inspected  and  passed/ 
with  a  Government  stamp,  and  with  Government 
ink." 

"But  the  stamps  and  seals  we  want,  Ben/'  I 
could  not  see  his  face  in  the  dark,  but  his  tone  indi- 


261 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

cated  that  the  day's  hard  work  had  not  abated  his 
tremendous  energy  one  whit. 

"No,  Hiram,  but  we  have  everything  but  the 
stamps  and  seals — we  can  convict  him  with  what 
we  now  know — I  mean  with  the  addition  of  what 
we  saw  to-night — but  that  would  not  make  a  clean 
job.  We  have  got  to  get  the  rest  of  the  men  with 
whom  he  must  have  been  working,  and  who  are 
most  likely  in  the  railroad  service,"  I  replied,  rapid- 
ly analyzing. 

"Where  can  we  go? — what  can  we  do  to  get 
them? — the  nearer  I  get  to  the  end  of  this  thing,  I 
feel  almost  as  though  I  would  go  insane,"  he  whis- 
pered, at  the  same  time  grabbing  me  by  the  shoulder 
as  would  a  petulant  child,  and  shook  me  until  I 
thought  his  last  statement  was  conservative. 

"The  old  fox  is  very  sly — doesn't  trust  any  of 
his  help — the  stamps  are  not  so  important — the  seals 
he  keeps  in  or  about  his  office  in  New  Orleans — our 
next  move  is  there.  Hiram,  can  you  stand  a  run 
to  New  Orleans  to-night?"  I  replied,  as  though 
thinking  aloud. 

He  sprang  to  his  feet  like  a  cat  and  leaned  over 
me. 


262 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"I  can  stand  to  do  anything,  without  eating  or 
sleeping,  if  it  takes  a  whole  week,"  he  replied  with 
set  jaws. 

The  next  morning  we  tied  up  at  the  wharf  in 
New  Orleans.  During  the  night  I  had  worked  out 
a  plan.  There  are  times  when  cunning  and  strate- 
gical violations  of  the  law  must  be  matched  in  order 
to  secure  and  convict  criminals  and  the  courts  have 
uniformly  justified  it.  I  was  going  to  take  a  big 
chance  and  finish  the  job  quickly. 

I  left  Hiram  on  the  boat  and  went  to  our  rooms 
for  the  mail,  and  to  get  other  bearings.  When  I 
returned  he  was  walking  up  and  down  the  wharf 
like  a  caged  hyena,  almost  frothing  at  the  mouth. 

"We  are  up  against  it  again — it  does  beat 
the  devil — why  can't  they  leave  us  alone  for  a  little 
while,  anyhow?"  he  demanded,  his  eyes  shooting  fire 
as  he  stopped  stolidly  in  front  of  me. 

"What  is  it  now,  Hiram?" 

"It's  these  damned  shipping  people — they  say  we 
can  make  two  round  trips  a  week  to  gulf  ports  for 
lumber,  and  if  we  don't  do  it  willingly  they  will 
make  us — just  take  the  boat,  that's  all,"  he  ex- 
ploded in  righteous  wrath. 


263 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"That  pays,  doesn't  it?"  I  asked  with  a  smile, 
more  to  arouse  his  sense  of  humor. 

"Yes,  of  course  it  pays,  but  haven't  we  got  some- 
thing more  important — at  that,  it  won't  pay  half  as 
much  as  sawing  logs  from  the  river — and  we  can 
let  the  Government  have  the  lumber,"  he  replied — 
somewhat  mollified. 

"Hiram,  you  will  have  to  go — but  let's  get  some 
breakfast  while  we  talk  it  over  there." 

We  went  below  to  where  a  darky  was  frying  two 
big  slabs  of  ham  and  a  dozen  eggs,  also  watching 
a  large  coffee  pot  steaming  on  a  three-dollar  gaso- 
line stove.  He  prepared  to  serve  the  breakfast 
on  a  table  made  of  the  head  of  a  tobacco  tierce, 
with  three  square  sticks  for  legs,  placed  in  an  open 
space  back  of  the  engine.  The  chairs  were  a  four- 
inch  cut-off  from  the  end  of  a  log,  accoutered  with 
legs  as  was  the  table,  but  all  cleaned  and  trimmed, 
with  good  rustic  effect.  The  entire  hold  of  the  boat 
had  been  washed,  cleaned,  and  put  in  perfect  order, 
and  the  men  at  that  moment  were  scrubbing  the 
upper  deck.  He  must  have  everything  clean  and 
orderly. 

Hiram  sat  down  opposite  me  at  this  rustic  round 


264 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

table,  and  placed  two  bare  arms  upon  it.  A  deep 
pink  rim  about  his  eyelids  was  the  only  evidence 
of  fatigue  after  twenty-four  hours  of  continuous 
work  without  sleep,  and  while  he  had  combed  his 
hair  with  his  fingers,  and  still  needed  a  shave,  a 
novice  could  see  in  him  a  big  man,  with  tremendous 
energy  that  chafed  at  delays. 

"Well ?"  He  looked  eagerly  the  question  as 

if  to  save  words. 

"Hiram,  have  you  stopped  to  take  stock  lately? 
Don't  you  think  we  have  made  pretty  good  progress 
in  the  last  ten  days?" 

"Indeed  we  have,  Ben — don't  think  I  am  find- 
ing fault — what  bothers  me  is — could  we  have  done 
more? — have  we  worked  up  to  the  limit? — and  it 
does  worry  me  to  think  we  have  not  done  away 
with  this  man  Becker,  and  squared  away  to  take 
advantage  of  the  tremendous  opportunities,  and — 
and  you  know  the  other  thing — perhaps  you  can- 
not understand  how  fearfully  anxious  I  am  to  go 
back  to  Anna  Bell,  clean — and  successful." 

"I  do  believe  I  understand.  We — well,  I'd  rather 
say  you — you  have  done  it  pretty  much  yourself — 
you  have  been  successful." 


265 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Heavens,  yes — a  month  ago  I  was  working  for 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  per,  and  no  immediate 
prospects — and  I  would  have  been  there  yet,  unless 
railroaded  to  prison  as  a  goat  for  this  crowd  that 
you  have " 

"No  more  of  that,  Hiram,"  I  interrupted,  rais- 
ing my  hand  in  protest — "let  us  talk  of  our  imme- 
diate movements — the  way  matters  stand  now.  You 
are  so  near  out  of  the  woods  you  can  easily  see  the 
clearing,  but  there  is  more  work  getting  through 
the  underbrush — where  there  may  be  some  snakes 
or  other  reptiles — but  that  ought  not  to  worry  you. 
Everything  comes  to  those  who  hustle  while  they 
wait." 

"But  you  have  done  the  most " 

"Never  mind  now  who  has  done  the  most — 
we  can  talk  of  that  later.  The  way  the  case  now 
stands,  we  have  been  to  the  butcher,  the  baker  and 
the  grocer  for  the  goods  to  provide  a  sumptuous 
meal  for  Becker  and  his  crowd,  and  perhaps  we 
have  the  cook,  but  to  make  'em  eat  will  require  just 
a  little  more  time  and  strategy.  As  far  as  your 
being  clear  of  implication,  every  one  knows  it  now 
— it  remains  only  to  make  it  a  matter  of  record. 


266 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"My  plan  for  the  next  move  may  take  a  week 
or  more,  but  doesn't  require  your  presence,  and  as 
long  as  you  are  compelled  to  go  anyhow,  make  a 
virtue  of  the  necessity.  Get  away  for  Gulfport  as 
soon  as  possible  and — temper  your  anxiety  and  im- 
patience by  making  money.  Fifteen  hundred  a  trip 
— two  trips  a  week — is  not  so  bad,  is  it?"  I  asked, 
smiling,  as  I  saw  a  shade  of  old-time  exuberance 
creeping  about  his  mouth.  He  had  followed  my 
review  with  rising  spirits.  It  may  be  that  the  great 
piece  of  ham  and  the  half  dozen  eggs  and  steaming 
coffee  set  before  him  helped  a  little. 


267 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

WE  sat  and  eyed  each  other  for  several  quiet 
moments.  Finally  Hiram  spoke.  Said  he,  "Do 
you  think  I  can  help  you  here?  If  I  can,  we'll 
let  them  take  the  Fearsome — they'll  have  to  pay 
well — then  we  can  get  another  one.  I  won't  rest 
well  until  this  matter  is  cleaned  up,  lock,  stock  and 
barrel " 

"No,  my  boy,  that  would  be  an  unnecessary  sacri- 
fice— boats  with  any  such  carrying  capacity  and 
speed  are  scarce;  in  faet,  are  now  unobtainable. 
While  I  am  not  going  into  details  now — truth  is, 
I  haven't  yet  worked  out  the  details — I  think  seeing 
you  twice  a  week  will  be  enough."  It  really  seemed 
to  me  that  he  would  be  only  in  the  way,  but  I 
thought  it  unwise  to  mention  that  to  him. 

While  I  was  looking  up  an  engineer  to  take  my 
place  on  the  boat,  Hiram  went  to  the  shippers  and 
drove  a  hard  bargain,  arranging  for  loading  and 
unloading  at  night  so  that  he  could  make  his  run 
by  daylight,  requiring  only  one  shift  of  the  crew. 


268 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Thus  he  surprised  me  again  with  his  keen  sense  of 
things  commercial.  One  would  have  thought  he 
had  spent  years  about  the  docks  and  shipping.  In 
fact,  Hiram  Strong,  Jr.,  had  been  a  continuous  sur- 
prise. 

When  I  returned  with  an  engineer  to  explain  and 
show  him  about,  general  merchandise  was  pouring 
into  the  Fearsome,  with  black  stevedores  swarming 
about  like  ants. 

"You  see,  I  am  going  to  take  just  enough  of  this 
merchandise  to  pay  expenses  of  the  trip,  then  our 
lumber  freight  will  be  all  velvet — the  freight  will 
come  out  at  one  end  while  the  lumber  goes  in  at 
the  other  and  we  won't  lose  any  time,  see?" 

Yes,  I  did  see,  but  didn't  say  much,  for  I  was  busy 
planning.  I  remained  until  I  saw  him  off  and  waved 
to  him  as  the  Fearsome  headed  down  stream.  I 
afterward  learned  that  when  they  reached  the  locks 
into  Lake  Borgne,  they  found  the  Fearsome  could 
squeeze  through  and  save  over  two  hundred  miles 
on  the  round  trip  and  be  running  in  inland  water 
all  the  way.  Surely  nothing  got  away  from  that 
boy. 

I  returned  to  my  old  room  in  the  general  railroad 


269 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

office  and  took  possession  again.  I  sent  at  once  for 
Superintendent  Kitchell,  whom  I  knew  was  exceed- 
ingly anxious  to  hear  of  my  progress.  Nothing  had 
been  removed  from  my  office  except  Miss  Bascom's 
desk  and  typewriter. 

The  superintendent  came  in  puffing,  and  was 
slightly  indignant  that  I  had  not  come  to  him,  until 
I  explained  that  I  did  not  want  to  take  the  slightest 
chance  of  our  conversation  being  overheard. 

"We  have  been  successful  in  getting  pretty  well 
all  over  Becker  &  Co.'s  plant  and  have  secured 
enough  evidence  against  them  to  convict,  but  to 
finish  the  job  and  get  the  railroad  men  implicated 
I  need  some  help  from  you,"  I  said,  as  he  looked  at 
me  with  undisguised  astonishment. 

"Mr.  Taylor,  anything  but  the  road-bed  is  yours, 
to  help  you  clean  up  this  infernal  mess.  Only  this 
morning  the  general  superintendent  wired  me  ask- 
ing if  I  had  anything  new  to  report.  I  suppose  he 
was  only  'passing  the  buck'  that  started  away  up — 
with  the  Government  maybe " 

"Tell  them  not  to  be  in  too  big  a  hurry — it  may 
clear  up  soon,  and  it  may  take  time  yet.  Mr. 
Kitchell,  can  you  invent  a  plausible  excuse  for  send- 


270 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ing  your  man  Burrell  out  of  town,  some  distance, 
for  a  few  days  ?"  I  asked,  casually. 

Had  the  points  of  a  dozen  pins  been  suddenly  in- 
troduced into  the  bottom  of  his  chair,  the  effect  on 
him  could  not  have  been  more  electrical.  He  sprang 
to  his  feet,  indignant  and  angry  to  the  point  of 
apoplexy. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say — you  mean  our  chief 
clerk — you  should  be  very  cautious  how  you  at- 
tempt to  besmirch — do  you  actually  mean  him  ?"  he 
fairly  shouted,  moving  toward  me  menacingly. 

"He  is  either  used  as  a  tool  or  is  directly  impli- 
cated, and  with  him  out  of  town  I  propose  to  find 
out  which.  If  implicated,  I  want  to  know  just  how 
far,  but  he  must  be  sent  on  a  half -hour  notice — 
without  even  a  chance  to  telephone." 

"Well !"  he  exploded,  and  began  to  polish 

his  bare  cranium  with  a  big  handkerchief.  "I'll 
see — that  must  be  arranged — it  can't  be  done  in  a 
hurry " 

"Just  as  soon  as  you  can  without  arousing  sus- 
picion will  do,  but  I  can't  move,  however,  until 
that  is  done,"  I  interrupted. 


271 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 


"I'm  so  astonished  I  can't  think  now — give  me  a 
little  time." 

"All  right — and  another  thing,  I  wish  you  would 
have  Miss  Bascom  transferred  back  here  to  me  im- 
mediately." 

"That's  easy — I  will  have  that  done  at  once — 
the  girl  is  all  right,  but  Burrell,"  he  said,  shaking 
his  head  sadly — "Burrell  takes  my  breath,"  he  added 
as  he  went  out,  leaving  the  impression  that  the  bed 
of  a  railroad  superintendent  was  not  bowered  with 
roses. 

I  went  out  to  luncheon  and,  although  in  a  crowd, 
not  a  face  appeared  distinct.  I  was  so  absorbed 
in  formulating  plans  to  force  an  immediate  issue 
that  I  didn't  know  what  I  was  eating. 

Upon  my  return  I  found  Miss  Bascom's  desk  in 
its  accustomed  place  by  the  window.  She  bowed 
and  greeted  me  as  one  whom  she  had  not  seen  for 
a  long  time.  I  couldn't  decide  whether  it  was 
pleasure  or  disappointment.  I  was  delighted  to  find 
a  note  from  'Superintendent  Kitchell,  saying  he  had 
found  a  way  to  hurry  Burrell  out  on  the  twelve- 
thirty  on  a  special  errand  to  Kansas  City  that  could 
be  lengthened  at  will. 


272 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Glancing  over  at  Miss  Bascom,  I  noted  her  hands 
in  front  of  her  as  she  sat  looking  out  of  the 
window,  waiting  for  me  to  give  her  some  work. 
I  felt  that  her  knell  had  rung,  the  supreme  moment 
had  arrived.  Knowing  that,  I  pitied  her,  for  I 
proposed  to  tear  away  the  mask  and  reveal  to  her 
the  duality  of  her  life. 

The  sunlight  fell  on  her  reddish  brown  hair,  which 
appeared  unusually  attractive  that  day.  I  smoked 
half  of  my  cigar  in  an  endeavor  to  keep  my  poise 
and  steel  myself  against  the  pity  I  would  have  for 
her  during  a  fiery  ordeal.  As  I  had  promised  my- 
self, I  would  force  her  to  hold  up  the  last  few  pages 
of  her  life  for  me  to  read,  and  I  would  use  her  as 
a  lure,  an  instrument,  with  which  to  fasten  a  crime 
where  it  belonged — even  if  upon  herself. 

Swinging  squarely  about,  I  attracted  her  atten- 
tion. She  nodded,  and  supposing  she  was  to  take 
dictation,  gathered  her  notebook  and  pencils  and 
came  to  me  at  once.  I  had  the  decided  advantage 
of  a  full  light  upon  her  face,  while  mine  was  shaded. 

"Miss  Bascom,  it  is  not  letters  I  want,  but  a  some- 
what serious  talk,  and  while  I  may  ask  some  ex- 


273 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ceedingly  personal  questions,  I  would  like  you  to 
feel  it  is  not  a  desire  to  pry  into  your  affairs." 

She  took  the  advantage  of  remaining  silent,  look- 
ing fully  and  frankly  at  me,  and  I  thought  there 
was  the  slightest  smile  about  her  delicate  lips  which 
I  had  believed — but  now  wondered — if  Burrell  had 
ever  touched  them. 

"Miss  Bascom,  you  know  a  Mr.  Becker  who  has 
a  plant  up  the  river?" 

Her  eyes  only  evidenced  the  shock  of  hearing  his 
name,  but  without  outward  sign  she  replied  simply 
—"Yes." 

"How  well  do  you  know  him?" 

"I  don't  think  I  know  him  very  well,"  she  re- 
plied with  attempted  frankness. 

"You  had  not  been  here  with  me  long  until  you 
knew  I  was  investigating  these  railroad  thefts,  and 
that  he  was  suspected  ?" 

"I  was  not  quite  sure — you  let  me  know  so  very 
little,"  she  replied  with  an  ease  that  was  somewhat 
exasperating. 

"Yet,  during  that  time  you  were  with  me  in 
— well,  rather  a  confidential  capacity — you  went  out 
with  him  to  public  places,  drinking  places,  and  could 


274 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

not  be  in  ignorance  of  his  real  purpose;  in  fact,  his 
proposals  were  outright?" 

"Y-e-s,"  she  faltered,  raising  her  eyes,  now  light- 
ed with  a  fire  I  thought  impossible.  I  could  not 
determine  whether  from  resentment  toward  me  or 
the  recalling  of  certain  indignities  she  had  experi- 
enced. 

"What  is  your  attitude  toward  him  now  ?" 

"The  same  as  it  has  always  been,"  she  replied, 
her  bosom  heaving  as  a  result  of  her  mental  agita- 
tion. 

I  knew  I  was  master  now,  so  leisurely  lit  another 
cigar  and  blew  a  cloud  of  smoke  between  us,  con- 
templatively. 

"What  is  his  attitude  toward  you  ?" 

"I  think  the  same  as  it  has  been."  Then,  looking 
down  at  her  pretty  hands  in  her  lap,  she  half  mur- 
mured, "Such  a  man  does  not  change  much." 

This  admission  sounded  to  me  like  a  cannon  shot 
and  I  immediately  asked : 

"You  say  that  your  relations  with  him  are  the 
same  as  always,  but  you  do  not  say  what  they 
were." 

This  time  she  looked  down  at  the  toe  of  a  very 


275 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

small,  neat  shoe  which  she  raised  slightly  to  con- 
template. She  remained  silent  for  some  moments, 
the  veins  in  her  forehead  swelling  until  they  showed 
blue  through  her  delicate  skin. 

"I — I — would  like  to  see  him  punished — it  seems 
to  me  that  is  what  you  want  to  know,"  she  said  in 
a  low  voice  in  which  I  thought  there  was  resent- 
ment, but  whether  directed  against  me,  Becker  or 
some  one  else  I  could  not  determine.  "I  would  do 
anything  to  have  him  punished,"  she  added  with 
suppressed  emphasis. 

"Miss  Bascom,  what  are  your  relations  with  Chief 
Clerk  Burrell?"  I  asked  suddenly. 

Taken  completely  unawares  from  this  quarter, 
she  drew  a  very  short  but  deep  breath,  recovering 
quickly. 

"They — well — I  know  Mr.  Burrell,"  she  admitted 
slowly. 

"You  have  carried  on  quite  a  flirtation  with  him  ?" 

"Yes — of  course,  you  do  not  know — it  would  be 
hard  to  make  you  understand " 

"Does  Mr.  Becker  know  of  your  attitude — rather, 
I  mean,  your  relations  with  Mr.  Burrell?"  I  inter- 
rupted. 


276 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"I — well,  he  knows  that  I  am  well  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Burrell,  but  I  don't  think  he  quite  under- 
stands all,"  she  admitted  with  some  show  of  hu- 
mility, inclining  me  to  the  conclusion  that  she  loved 
Burrell  and  would  save  him.  But  I  didn't  care  whom 
she  wanted  to  save. 

I  was  perhaps  somewhat  brutal  in  saying,  "I  have 
your  word  you  would  do  anything  to  reach  Mr. 
Becker — of  course,  with  the  understanding  that 
you  will  be  protected  ?" 

She  opened  her  mouth,  showing  pure  white  teeth, 
then  drew  her  lips  tightly  until  no  red  was  visible, 
all  the  while  looking  squarely  at  me  as  she  repeated 
slowly,  knowingly — 

"Yes,  anything.   I  would  go  through  Hell  Fire!" 


277 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

SPIRITED,  maidenly  purity  will  work  itself  into 
a  sort  of  ecstatic,  swaggering  turbulence,  similar  to 
a  hardened  degenerate,  frequently  to  the  chagrin, 
disappointment  and  dismay  of  the  most  practiced. 

When  through  with  Miss  Bascom,  I  will  confess 
I  could  not  tell  in  which  class  she  belonged.  War 
had  brought  to  our  shores  hideous  flotsam,  whom 
I  did  not  care,  did  not  want,  to  know.  I  wanted 
trap  bait,  and  why  not  her?  Had  I  mentioned  my 
belief  that  she  had  sent  the  anonymous  notes  to 
Hiram,  or  that  she  had  been  seen  dining  with  the 
Gold-Beater,  Hiram  Strong,  Sr.,  after  six  hours' 
business  acquaintance,  her  attitude  would  have  in- 
stantly developed. 

A  certain  cold-blooded  brutality  in  what  I  pro- 
posed must  be  admitted.  I  wanted  to  clear  Hiram 
and  finish  a  long-drawn-out  case,  and  one  doesn't 
want  to  know  the  pedigree  of  the  lamb  used  as  bait 
for  a  lion.  But  I  proposed  to  save  her  from  the  fate 
of  the  lamb  in  such  cases,  although  she  had  con- 


278 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

sented,  without  duress,  to  act.  I  felt  that  it  was 
Burrell  she  wanted  to  save. 

I  gave  her  some  work  that  would  occupy  about 
all  the  afternoon,  and  took  measures  to  prevent  her 
leaving  the  building  or  telephoning  without  being 
overheard. 

Becker  was  in  the  city  and  about  his  office.  His 
business  was  flourishing. 

With  the  cooperation  of  the  hotel  management 
two  communicating  rooms  on  the  second  floor  were 
arranged  for  at  the  hotel  frequented  by  Becker,  and 
these  were  prepared  for  my  purpose. 

At  four  o'clock  when  I  asked  her  to  dress  for  the 
street  and  come  with  me,  she  did  so  without  hesita- 
tion— in  fact,  she  seemed  eager — but  I  could  not 
be  sure  of  that. 

As  we  walked  silently  down  to  the  hotel  she 
appeared  to  be  sure  of  herself,  and  if  she  was  sur- 
prised when  we  entered  the  ladies'  entrance  and 
walked  up  the  one  flight  to  the  rooms,  she  gave  no 
evidence  of  it.  I  felt  assured  she  had  the  necessary 
self-control. 

She  was  quick  to  notice  that  the  door  between 
the  two  rooms  was  open,  but  made  no  comment, 


279 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

and  apparently  as  though  in  her  own  lodgings,  re- 
moved her  hat,  to  make  herself  comfortable.  She 
went  to  the  glass,  touched  her  wonderful  hair  here 
and  there  as  though  to  add  something  to  its  alluring 
arrangement,  impressing  me  anew  that  she  was  in 
point  of  beauty,  at  least,  a  most  attractive  girl,  and 
I  again  complimented  Becker's  ambitious  taste  and 
selection.  As  for  throwing  herself  away  for  the 
married,  sporting  Burrell,  I  pitied  her  for  her  lack 
of  discrimination. 

She  took  the  chair  I  pointed  to  in  front  of  a 
writing  desk  on  which  was  the  room  telephone.  The 
way  she  rested  her  elbow  on  it  and  half  turned  to- 
ward me  suggested  that  she  awaited  my  signal  of 
"what  next?" 

"Miss  Bascom,"  said  I,  taking  a  chair  facing  her, 
"I  feel  like  warning  you  that  you  are  undertaking 
a  most  delicate,  difficult,  and  even  dangerous  enter- 
prise. If  you  fail  through  inability,  it  will  be  under- 
stood, but  if  you  fail  by  reason  of  half-heartedness 
or  any  sort  of  treachery,  I  will  not  be  responsible. 
I  am  positively  in  no  mood  to  condone  such  an  of- 
fense, besides  I  am  not  the  only  one  involved  in  this 
arrangement — there  are  others  who  are  less  likely 


280 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

to  be  trifled  with  than  myself."  I  spoke  good- 
naturedly  and  with  something  of  a  plea  for  her  own 
welfare. 

"Mr.  Taylor,"  she  began,  in  quiet,  sweet,  South- 
ern accent,  "I  have  consented  to  act  a  part  in  good 
faith,  and  if  I  fail  it  will  be  because  it  cannot  be 
done."  Then,  with  charming  assurance,  she  glanced 
into  the  other  room  and  at  the  telephone  before  her, 
and  said,  "Explain  just  what  you  want  me  to  do." 

She  seemed  almost  too  willing  and  a  certain  ner- 
vousness in  her  tone  left  some  doubt.  But  we  had 
arranged  for  duplicity,  and  though  I  felt  the  ice  a 
little  thin,  decided  to  go  ahead. 

"Miss  Bascom,  your  motive  in  maintaining  rela- 
tions with  Mr.  Becker  is  something  of  a  conjecture 
that  I  am  not  much  interested  in  now.  It  may 
interest  you,  however,  to  know  that  I  know  of  your 
meeting  with  him  in  a  wine  room  of  this  hotel." 
Then  taking  from  my  pocket  a  typewritten  report 
of  the  meeting,  I  continued,  "The  least  sound  that 
was  made  in  that  room  at  that  time  is  here  recorded 
as  nearly  as  possible  in  words  and  sound  of  voice. 
I  know  what  you  drank,  what  he  drank,  that  you 
submitted  to  his  caresses,  kisses,  that  he  made 


281 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

salacious  proposals,  and  there  may  have  been  sub- 
sequent meetings  of  which  we  do  not  know." 

She  started  visibly  at  this  and  moved  uneasily  in 
her  chair,  laid  her  chin  in  her  palm  and  looked 
straight  at  me  with  eyes  burning  like  fire — I  thought 
slightly  mixed  with  alarm  and  amusement,  but  she 
did  not  utter  a  word,  so  I  continued : 

"In  order  that  you  proceed  intelligently  in  this 
matter  I  will  tell  you  that  Becker  is  a  criminal  and 
that  we  have  ample  evidence  to  convict  him,  but  in 
order  to  make  it  easier,  and  to  reach  others,  I 
want  you  to  get  him  to  come  up  here  to  this  room, 
then  actually  lure  from  him  what  we  want.' 

She  made  no  sign  and  I  went  on: 

"There  are  times  when  fire  must  be  met  with  fire, 
crime  sometimes  has  to  be  uncovered  by  finesse, 
strategy,  trick,  even  downright  subterfuge,  and  this 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  times.  His  weakest  point  i.c 
his  penchant  for  pretty  women/' 

Miss  Bascom  evidenced  intense  interest  in  what 
I  said  and  seemed  to  weigh  every  word  I  uttered. 
But  she  did  not  appear  to  want  to  reply  or  suggest 
anything,  though  she  seemed  to  take  on  an  exultant 
attitude. 


282 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"We  have  ample  evidence  to  convict  him  of  rob- 
bing cars  of  meat  products,  and  to  do  this  he  must 
have  in  his  possession  the  seals  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  and  the  shippers  of  the 
goods  in  Kansas  City,  as  well  as  the  railroad  seals, 
and  the  instruments  for  adjusting.  These  we  want. 

"We  believe  that  he  has  them  secreted  here  in 
New  Orleans.  The  plan  is  that  by  your  protesta- 
tion of  interest,  affection  or  whatnot,  you  will  in- 
duce him  to  place  them  in  your  hands  for  safe- 
keeping. We  are  certain  he  has  been  furnished 
these  things  with  help  from  Kansas  City.  Do  you 
think  you  can  do  it?"  I  ended  by  asking  suddenly. 

"What  will  happen  if  I  fail?"  she  surprised  me 
by  asking. 

"If  you  fail  and  can  show  a  clean  slate,  nothing 
unpleasant  will  happen,"  I  replied  rather  coldly, 
suggestive  of  what  might  happen  if  the  reverse  were 
true. 

"/ — think — I  may  be  able  to  make  some  head- 
way, but  it  may  take  more  time  than  you  antici- 
pate," she  warned  me  quietly. 

"I  don't  care  how  much  time  you  take,  or  how 
much  expense,  but  it  must  be  a  continuous  perfor- 


283 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

mance — nothing  more  than  an  intermission  will  be 
allowable.  This  telephone  will  be  permanently  con- 
nected with  mine  in  the  next  room.  If  he  wants  you 
to  drink,  do  so,  and  nothing  containing  alcohol  will 
come  to  you,  and  though  he  is  copper-lined,  we  will 
contrive  to  put  him  at  a  disadvantage  and  you  can 
easily  use  the  'phone  to  ask  for  instructions  when 
you  are  not  sure."  Then  contemplating  her  criti- 
cally for  a  moment,  I  added — "You  said  you  were 
willing  to  do  anything" 

"I  know  I  did — and  I  will — and  I  begin  to  feel 
safe — you  will  protect  me,  won't  you?"  she  asked 
me  with  a  delightful  appeal  in  her  eyes  that  could 
not  be  refused. 

"Every  precaution  has  been  made  for  that — you 
will  not  be  disturbed ;  the  waiter  who  serves  you  is 
one  of  our  men — but  you  must  act,  you  must  suc- 
ceed. Becker  is  probably  in  his  office  now ;  call  him 
up,"  I  added,  giving  his  number. 

There  was  no  doubt  about  her  eagerness  and  dis- 
tinct intention  to  succeed,  to  do  anything,  but  I  could 
not  decide  whether  she  was  moved  by  fear  or  a 
genuine  desire  to  cooperate,  get  revenge,  or  to  save 
Burrell. 


284 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

Becker  fell  incontinently  during  the  first  round. 

There  was  in  every  word  a  purr,  a  coo,  an  invita- 
tion— she  assumed  the  attitude  of  permitting  him 
to  come  up,  to  see  her  for  just  a  little  while  at  the 
hotel. 

Her  low  laugh  of  triumph  was  more  of  a  chuckle 
as  she  turned  to  me  for  approbation. 

"Fine — so  far  very  good,"  I  commented  as  though 
the  result  was  no  more  than  expected  and  prepared 
to  go  into  the  other  room  and  lock  the  door,  where 
she  did  not  know  I  could  overhear  every  whisper 
that  passed,  though  she  may  have  suspected  some- 
thing of  the  sort. 

Becker's  haste  to  get  there  was  evidenced  by  the 
speed  with  which  he  came,  and  his  entrance  was 
Falstaffian.  But  the  real  Falstaff  had  no  such  in- 
trigue arranged  for  him.  He  was  not  a  criminal. 

The  meeting  between  Bascom  and  Becker  lasted 
over  six  hours.  The  stenographers  at  the  dicta- 
phone in  my  room  made  over  a  hundred  pages  of 
evidence  to  be  used  at  the  trial. 

When  it  was  over,  just  before  midnight,  and  I 
led  Miss  Bascom  out  of  the  hotel  to  a  cab,  her  sturdy 
body  seemed  a  wreck.  She  leaned  heavily  on  me 


285 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

and  seemed  to  have  aged  greatly.  As  she  was  about 
to  enter  the  vehicle,  she  looked  back  into  the  build- 
ing, horrified,  as  though  reason  was  unseated  by 
wild  imaginations  that  she  was  pursued  by  a  legion 
of  dreaded  devils.  She  did  not  utter  a  word  until 
she  was  seated  inside,  when  she  reached  her  hand, 
delicate  and  soft,  for  mine,  and  with  gentle  pressure, 
exclaimed  as  though  waking  from  a  terrible  night- 
mare : 

"Mr.  Taylor,  I  have  lived  a  hundred  years  in  the 
last  six  hours — but — but" — she  hesitated,  gasping 
for  breath — "I  have  done  what  I — we — what  you 
wanted  me  to  do." 

Of  course,  when  Becker  first  came  the  overture 
was  drink;  it  always  is.  Having  full  control  of 
that  through  the  waiter  we  saw  that  the  first  ones 
had  more  punch  than  he  expected,  but  we  gave  her 
a  mere  counterfeit  of  what  he  thought  she  was 
drinking.  The  sumptuous  food  he  ordered  was 
carefully  served.  Later  we  had  to  weaken  his  po- 
tions so  that  his  mad  desire  would  run  at  its  height, 
waiting  on  neither  discretion  nor  reason.  I  heard 
every  word,  every  sound.  Her  acting  was  perfec- 
tion. The  indignities  she  suffered  were  terrible  and 


286 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

could  not  have  been  endured  except  for  the  reason 
that  they  were  fortified  by  a  deep,  enduring,  sacrifi- 
cial tendency  to  be  loyal.  This  conclusion  forced 
itself  upon  me.  His  protestations  were  repeated 
over  and  over  and  merged  into  a  plea  for  sympathy. 

Her  generalship  was  superb.  He  promised  her 
everything.  She  patiently,  cautiously  led  him  to 
the  point  where  she  told  him,  that  by  reason  of  her 
position  in  the  office  she  knew  he  had  been  led  into 
certain  transactions  that  might  lead  to  her  dis- 
grace, in  view  of  the  alliance  he  proposed. 

"But  that  is  all  stopped,"  he  reiterated  a  dozen 
times. 

Then,  with  wonderful  acumen,  she  let  him  under- 
stand that  she  knew  of  the  existence  of  various 
stamps  and  seals,  finally  that  their  very  existence  was 
a  menace  and  she  could  not  feel  any  security  in  his 
promise  until  she  knew  they  were  destroyed. 

"I  will  put  them  at  the  bottom  of  the  river  to- 
morrow morning." 

"But  if  you  are  really  in  earnest  and  mean  well, 
you  will  do  that  now,  this  very  night — let  me  see 
you  do  it,  or  bring  them  to  me,"  she  coaxed, 
wheedled,  insinuated. 


287 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

And  then  finally  with  the  blood  fired  by  alcohol 
and  that  quality  that  makes  men  putty  in  the  hands 
of  beauty  and  sex  lure,  he  ordered  a  cab  and  in  an 
incredibly  short  time  returned  with  quite  a  large 
package  wrapped  carefully  in  burlap.  He  left  the 
room  for  a  moment  in  his  preparations  for  the  an- 
ticipated night.  I  opened  the  door  between  the 
rooms,  admitted  her  with  the  package,  about  all 
she  could  carry,  and  he  never  saw  her  again.  The 
mad,  inflamed  bull  was  stalled  with  a  ring  in  his 
nose. 

This  blazed  the  trail  to  Kansas  City,  where  I 
started  on  the  next  train,  and  did  not  return  for 
more  than  a  week. 


288 


CHAPTER  XXX 

As  soon  as  I  saw  Hiram  I  knew  he  was  a  differ- 
ent man.  It  was  not  necessary  for  me  to  tell  him. 
Details  were  published  in  every  daily  paper.  He 
had  gone  back  to  Anna  Bell  Morgan  clean,  un- 
sullied, unbesmirched — his  conception  of  what  a 
man  should  be,  and  prosperous  beyond  dreams.  A 
solid,  forceful  man,  ambitious  without  limit,  he 
was  much  interested  in  the  brief  information  I  gave 
him  of  how  I  had  successfully  uncovered  and  ap- 
prehended in  Kansas  City  all  the  others  involved 
in  the  crime,  who  evidenced  a  power  of  organiza- 
tion which,  if  directed  in  legitimate  channels,  would 
have  made  them  rich. 

He  had  rented  and  furnished  offices,  where  I 
found  him  at  work. 

"Had  to  have  headquarters,  Ben — just  one  room, 
with  an  adjoining  one  for  you — let  me  introduce 
you  to  it,"  he  said,  putting  his  hand  affectionately 
on  my  shoulder,  leading  through  a  connecting  door 
into  a  big,  well-lighted,  expensively  furnished  office. 


289 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Sit  down  and  see  how  it  seems  to  have  a  home 
of  your  own,"  he  went  on,  pushing  me  into  a  big 
leather  chair  and  throwing  up  the  top  of  a  com- 
modious mahogany  desk.  Everywhere  showed  evi- 
dence of  the  feminine  touch. 

"You  see,  Ben,  I  could  not  have  done  so  well. 
This  is  Anna  Bell's  idea  and  selection — I  have  told 
her  so  much  of  you  she  feels,  in  fact  acts,  as  though 
she  knew  you  as  well  as  I  do,  but  you  will  meet  her 
soon  and  she  will  tell  you  about  that  herself.  I 
never  would  have  thought  of  the  carpet,  but  she 
said  carpet,  and  there  was  carpet,"  he  mused  remi- 
niscently,  as  he  pulled  up  a  chair  and  sat  down  near 
me  where  he  could  look  out  of  the  window. 

"I've  got  to  leave  to-night  again  on  the  Fearsome 
and  there  is  so  much  to  tell  you — something  I  want 
to  ask  you  about." 

I  was  too  astonished  and  delighted  with  the  en- 
terprise and  zeal  of  the  fellow  to  know  what  to 
say. 

"Ben,  why  don't  you  say  something — don't  you 
like  this?"  he  asked  solicitously,  leaning  toward  me 
and  scanning  my  face.  He  was  the  boy  again. 


290 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Hiram,  give  me  a  little  time — I  was  wondering 
how  you  managed  so  quickly  to  do  all  this " 

"There — that's  better,"  said  he,  a  relieved  smile 
creeping  about  the  upturned  corners  of  his  mouth. 
"I  told  you  I  didn't — I  couldn't — have  done  it  alone 
— you  see,  Ben,  I  am  making  three  trips  a  week  to 
Gulfport  instead  of  two,  and  carrying  enough  gen- 
eral merchandise  back  to  pay  expenses,"  and  then 
turning  his  chair  so  as  to  look  squarely  at  me,  he 
continued.  "It  is  pouring  prosperity,  though 
we  are  making  a  willing,  patriotic  sacrifice  while 
doing  it,  and  we  must  hustle  like  sixty  until  the 
rain  is  over." 

I  looked  at  him  more  astonished,  as  I  felt  sure 
something  bigger  was  coming.  Was  there  no 
limit? 

"We  are  making  money  pretty  fast  now,  but  this 
won't  last — I  know  now  the  logs  in  the  river  will 
disappear  soon  after  we  get  at  them  again,  and  you 
know  we  have  got  to  look  ahead.  I  can  buy  a  tract 
of  timber  up  there  at  Gulfport — cheap — enough 
timber  to  keep  us  sawing  for  years.  Now  don't  look 
so  alarmed — it  will  take  a  lot  of  money,  but  we've 
got  to  do  it  if  it  is  possible.  I've  opened  a  bank  ac- 


291 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

count  here  and  talked  to  the  president  about  it — 
but  everything  now  is  going  into  Liberty  bonds  and 
you  can't  blame  them — but  it's  got  to  be  done,  Ben," 
he  repeated  in  a  tense  undertone,  bringing  his  hard 
hand  down  on  my  knee  with  a  loud  slap. 

Looking  at  him  in  wonder  for  a  moment,  I  finally 
asked, 

"How  much  will  it  take,  Hiram?" 

"Now  don't  fall  over  when  I  tell  you — that's  why 
I  got  a  big  chair  with  a  soft  cushion,  so  that  you 
could  sustain  a  shock  once  in  a  while  without  in- 
jury. Ben,  it  will  take  about  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  get  it,  but  it's  got  to  come,"  he  ended, 
passing  his  hand  rapidly  over  his  chin  as  though  glad 
it  was  out. 

"You  have  not  forgotten,  Hiram,  that  you  must 
settle  with  the  railroad  for  the  engine  in  the  Fear- 
some and  the  sawmill,  too  ?" 

"I  know  we  have,  but  I've  got  enough  in  the  bank 
for  that  and  more  besides,"  he  replied  quickly. 
"What  do  you  think,  is  it  possible  ?"  he  asked,  mak- 
ing me  feel  he  was  not  to  be  resisted. 

"I  don't  know,  Hiram;  you  are  placing  a  pretty 
big  order — we'll  see — I  don't  believe  I  told  you  just 


292 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

how  much  I  sold  that  barrel  for,  did  I?"  turning 
to  him  with  an  affected  smile  of  derision. 

"Yes,  I  know  you  will  have  the  laugh  on  me  as 
long  as  you  live  about  that  barrel;  in  fact,  I  will 
laugh  myself  every  time  I  think  of  it  even  if  I  am 
at  a  funeral,  but  that  couldn't  happen  again  in  a 
million  years,"  he  replied,  getting  up  and  pacing  the 
room,  finally  halting  in  the  opposite  corner,  where 
he  catapulted  a  question  as  though  he  might  be 
coming  along  with  it. 

"How  much  did  you  get  for  it,  Ben?" 

"It  was  as  you  say,  Hiram,  a  thousand-to-one 
shot  that  could  not  have  happened  and  never  will 
happen  again — I  don't  claim  any  credit,  except  in 
discovering  it  was  not  junk,  by  a  little  leakage 
through  the  chimes  which  discolored  my  fingers." 

"I  know — I  know — you  never  claim  anything,"  he 
interrupted. 

"You  see,  we  had  to  pay  something  like  twenty 
thousand  to  clear  the  Fearsome" 

"Yes,  I  know  that." 

"Well,  I  think  there  is  a  balance  in  the  bank  of 
something  about  forty  thousand  more " 

"You  are  joking  again,   Ben,"  he   interrupted, 


293 


charging  over  toward  me,  incredulous,  as  I  took 
from  my  wallet  a  credit  slip  which  he  grasped  and 
began  to  cavort  and  cut  capers  on  the  expensive 
carpet,  much  the  same  as  he  acted  at  the  first  signs 
of  good  luck,  months  before. 

"Ben,  you  are  a  mascot — you  have  been  one  to 
me,  anyhow — now  in  another  month — before  this 
deal  can  be  closed — I  can  pay  the  railroad  claim  for 
the  motor  and  the  sawmill,  and  every  other  stiver 
we  owe.  And  we'll  have  at  least  ten  thousand  more 
to  bring  our  balance  up  to  fifty  thousand.  Now, 
how  can  we  raise  fifty  thousand  more?"  he  asked, 
fairly  excited — he  pronounced  fifty  thousand  as 
though  he  was  used  to  dealing  in  those  figures  all 
his  life — as  though  it  was  no  more  than  the  price 
of  one  of  those  famous  beefsteaks  he  liked  so  well. 
He  must  have  inherited  it  from  the  Gold-Beater — 
as  he  did  the  love  for  new,  clean  lumber  and  the 
lumber  business.  Hiram  admitted  he  knew  so  little 
of  his  father  that  he  was  unaware  I  knew  he  was 
a  Lumber  King. 

I  took  out  cigars,  thinking  hard,  and  offered  him 
one. 

"No,  thank  you,  I  prefer  a  pipe,"  said  he  pro- 


294 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

ducing  one  at  once  as  something  he  had  overlooked. 

"Hiram,  give  me  a  little  time — you  say  you  leave 
this  afternoon?" 

"Yes,  I  ought  to  be  on  the  dock  now,"  said  he, 
blowing  a  cloud  of  smoke  and  scanning  me  as 
though  to  learn  just  what  I  was  thinking.  "I 
will  be  back  day  after  to-morrow,"  he  added,  anti- 
cipating the  question. 

"I'll  see" — I  said,  moving  back  a  little  in  my  big 
chair  and  contemplating  the  end  of  my  cigar — "per- 
haps when  you  get  back  I  may  have  something — 
maybe  there  is  a  way " 

"Don't  say  maybe — say  you  will  do  it,"  he 
prodded. 

"Hiram,  I  still  say  maybe,"  I  answered  firmly, 
wondering  whether  the  Gold-Beater  was  still  down 
the  river  shooting  ducks,  and  if  I  could  get  into 
touch  with  him  before  Him  returned. 

Early  on  the  morning  he  was  due  back,  a  mes- 
senger came  to  say  I  was  wanted  on  the  telephone 
by  some  one  at  Lake  Borgne  Locks.  I  knew  it  was 
Hirani — he  had  probably  been  calling  Anna  Bell 
Morgan  to  tell  her  of  his  arrival  and  knew  he  would 
catch  me  in  my  room. 


295 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"What  news  ?"  he  asked  as  though  tired  of  wait- 
ing, and  more,  as  though  he  expected  it  to  be  fa- 
vorable. 

"The  news  is  all  right." 

"Oh,  I  knew  it  would  be,"  he  broke  in,  not  wait- 
ing for  me  to  finish.  "Say,  I  will  be  up  to  the  docks 
at  eight,  and  be  at  the  office  at  ten — meet  me  there," 
and  he  hung  up  abruptly. 

This  suited  me  exactly.  I  was  through  and  had 
made  reservation  on  a  train  leaving  for  the  North — 
for  home  and  a  little  rest. 

I  had  cleaned  up  everything  except  a  little  writing 
and  was  doing  that  in  the  office  that  had  been  so 
generously  provided  for  me,  when  I  heard  Hiram 
enter  his  adjoining  room.  The  door  between  was 
not  tightly  closed,  and  I  was  aware  at  once  he  was 
not  alone.  He  had  evidently  made  an  engagement 
also  with  Anna  Bell  Morgan.  I  could  hear  his  voice 
easily,  and  as  I  was  aroused  from  the  preoccupation 
of  my  writing,  I  could  hear  her  voice,  and  as  I 
listened  closely  there  came  a  shock,  a  slow,  leaden, 
enervating,  numbing  shock  on  recognizing  the  voice 
of  Miss  Bascom,  my  clerk.  The  whole  thing  swam 
slowly  before  me.  I  knew  now  why  she  had  acted 


296 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

her  role  with  such  intensity  and  risk.  I  felt  an  im- 
pulse to  grab  my  grip  and  bolt  through  the  door 
into  the  hall  and  take  my  train  without  meeting  them 
together,  but  I  didn't  have  time  before  he  came 
bursting  through  the  door  leading  her  proudly  to 
me. 

"Mr.  Taylor,  I  introduce  my  wife.  I  forgot  to 
tell  you  we  were  to  be  married  at  nine."  I  arose, 
took  her  extended  hand  as  she  looked  at  me  square- 
ly, radiantly,  but  with  a  plea.  I  got  her  message,  but 
I  think  I  made  a  failure  of  the  greeting  and  con- 
gratulations. I  was  afraid  Hiram  noticed  it.  In 
fact,  I  felt  sheepish  that  I  had  not  discovered  that 
she  had  assumed  a  name  and  underwent  the  dis- 
gusting experiences  with  Becker  and  Burrell  to  help 
him. 

"Not  going  away,  Ben?"  Hiram  asked,  noticing 
my  grip — he  never  overlooked  anything. 

"Yes,  Hiram,  I  am  going  to  leave  you  now — I  am 
through  here." 

"You — you  don't  mean — when  will  you  be  back, 
Ben?"  he  asked,  glancing  in  alarm  first  at  me  and 
then  at  his  bride  of  an  hour. 

"I  don't  know  when  I  will  return,  Hiram.     Just 


297 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

now  I  have  to  answer  the  call  of  others.  I  may 
come  back  to  testify  at  the  trial." 

"You  don't  mean  you  are  not  going  to  stay  here 
with  me — when  things  are  just  getting  started 
right  ?"  he  began,  coming  over  and  placing  one  hand 
on  the  back  of  my  chair  and  bending  forward  to 
look  in  my  face  to  see  if  I  was  ill. 

"Sit  down — both  of  you,"  I  interrupted,  looking 
at  Anna  Bell's  radiance  changing  to  disappointment 
too,  as  he  brought  chairs  up  near  me.  "I  have  a 
confession  to  make,  and  I  like  to  do  the  unpleasant 
things  first  and  have  them  over  with." 

"But  say,  old  fellow,  you  can't  leave  me  now — 
I  need  you  in  so  many  ways — you  see,  we  have  been 
through  so  much  together "  began  Hiram,  lean- 
ing well  forward  in  his  chair. 

"It  cannot  be — just  now  anyhow — and  perhaps 
you  will  not  want  me  to  do  so  when  I  admit  to  a 
certain  sort  of  duplicity — but  at  which  I  hope  in  the 
course  of  time  you  will  look  upon  tolerantly,  for- 
givingly— I  don't  want  you  to  think  badly  of  me — 
as  I  have  in  the  last  few  months  become  deeply  at- 
tached to  you." 


298 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"What  are  you  getting  at,  Ben — I  will  never  be- 
lieve you  have  deceived " 

"Wait  till  I  tell  you  why  I  came  here — left  New 
York  with  you,  was  paid  a  definite  sum  and  expenses 
for  dong  so  for  a  definite  purpose,  and  that  purpose 
is  now  accomplished,  and  the  Government,  engaged 
in  a  gigantic  war,  calls  me  to  other  activities.  I 
must " 

"I  don't  care  what  you  have  done  or  been,  though 
I  don't  quite  understand,"  he  began,  his  voice  al- 
most failing;  "we  are  doing  work  for  the  Govern- 
ment just  as  important  as  any — and  I  need  you." 

"You  may  have  needed  me,  Hiram,  but  you  don't 
now — you  are  nicely  started  and  you  have  better 
help  now  than  I  can  give,"  I  broke  in,  looking  at 
Anna  Bell,  who  was  as  much  affected  as  Hiram. 
"She  is  courageous,  a  natural  diplomat  and  wonder- 
ful at  plans,  and  besides,  you  can  now  stand  alone 
and  must  learn  to  rely  on  yourself,  and  besides,  more 
than  two  in  a  firm  often  complicates  matters." 

"I  know — I  know — I  can  see — but  you  don't  ex- 
plain— what  is  this  you  are  hinting ?" 

"Hiram,  it  may  be  better  for  it  to  come  to  you 
gradually.  Now  let  us  talk  about  money  for  my 


299 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

train  goes  soon  and  I  find  I  need  some  money,  and  I 
must  give  you  the  big  check  necessary  to  pay  for 
the  timber  land.  First  of  all,  will  you  cash  these 
checks  for  me  ?  These  are  my  salary  checks  I  have 
never  used,"  I  explained  as  I  took  them  out,  turned 
to  the  desk  and  endorsed  them,  aware  that  Hiram 
and  Anna  Bell  were  looking  at  each  other  and  trying 
to  understand. 

"Ben,  I  am  sure  this  is  only  a  misconception — a 
feeling  of  delicacy — that  you  may  be  inter fer- 
ing " 

"No,  Hiram,  my  plans  are  definite;  I  cannot 
change  them  if  I  would,"  said  I,  handing  him  the 
checks  as  soberly  as  though  not  anticipating  his 
astonishment  when  he  saw  them. 

At  first  he  did  not  look  at  them,  but  laid  them 
on  his  knee  as  a  mere  matter  of  detail.  He  was  too 
busy  trying  to  divine  what  was  going  on  in  my 
mind;  finally  glancing  down  at  them,  he  became 
aware  there  was  something  familiar  about  them,  and 
then  his  excitement  knew  no  bounds. 

"How  the  devil" — he  began,  raising  half  out 
of  his  chair,  tapping  the  checks  wildly — "how  did 
you  get  these?  Why,  these  are  like  the  ones  I  used 


300 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

to— now  I  understand,"  he  said,  subsiding,  quite 
overcome.  "Ben,  were  you  paid  by  my  father?  My 
God,  is  it  possible — then  he  didn't  kick  me  out — it 
was  just  his  way " 

"Just  his  way  to  teach  you  to  work  and  make 
amends  for  his  neglect,  and  here  is  another  one, 
the  big  one  for  fifty  thousand  signed  by  him,  too — 
you  may  be  surprised  to  know  he  is  now  down  in 
the  lower  reaches  of  the  river,  duck-shooting.  When 
I  saw  him  yesterday,  I  had  no  difficulty ;  everything 
seemed  to  be  prepared  for  the  proposition,"  I  said; 
looking  quizzically  at  Anna  Bell.  Mixed  with  her 
delight  was  a  shade  of  fear  and  apprehension.  I 
tried  to  make  her  understand  that  she  must  tell  him 
herself  about  her  captivating  the  Gold-Beater,  se- 
curing his  approval  and  further  support,  of  the 
Becker  episode,  her  assumed  name — and  all  to  help 
Hiram.  In  fact,  I  did  not  have  the  courage  to  do 
it 

"I  can  hardly  conceive  my  father "  Here  his 

voice  broke  completely. 

"And  you  can  hardly  credit  that  the  Fearsome 
might  have  been  placed  conveniently  in  the  canal 


301 


THE  YAZOO  MYSTERY 

"Oh,  heavens,  and  I  thought  we  were  doing  it 
— and  did  he  plan  all  that  trouble  in  the  river — ; 
did  his  men,  the  lawyers,  take  her  from ?" 

"Yes,  I  guess  he  did,  Hiram;  he  wanted  to  try 
you  out — a  last  real  trial " 

"And  the  barrel,  Ben,  did  he  have  anything ?" 

"No,  Hiram,  that  was  a  piece  of  just  dumb  luck 
that  will  always  be  with  you — send  me  a  check  for 
half  of  it  when  you  get  things  straightened  out,"  I 
said,  grabbing  my  grip  and  bolting.  As  I  rounded 
the  corner  of  the  hall  for  the  elevator,  I  glanced 
back.  They  stood  out  in  the  hall,  their  arms  around 
each  other,  watching  me  go. 


THE  END 


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UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

— "iiiiiiir" 


mil  mill  mil  HIIIIHIIII  mi 
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